


Awakening

by forever (BeautifulIllusion)



Category: Candy Candy
Genre: Canon verse, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:11:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 61,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2614613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulIllusion/pseuds/forever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A whirlwind friendship with an aspiring female writer, not much older than her, leads Candy to an unexpected sensuous journey of self discovery. Having her keen desire rudely awakened, she has to constantly fight a battle of will with her mind as she struggles to resist the charms of her enigmatic, handsome roommate, Albert. But she soon realizes that this is one battle she will never win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Bliss. What is bliss?_

Candy thought she knew bliss, had felt bliss, had experienced bliss.

_Bliss is indulging in your favorite dessert. Bliss is spending time with your loved one. Bliss is having your wish come true. Bliss—plain and simple—is extreme happiness, a feeling of utter contentment. It's a generic notion. And that's all there is to it._

Apparently, she was wrong. Not completely—partly—but she was still wrong.

The moment of realization came when a conversation that had begun as harmless as a mindless blather over tea and chocolate chip cookies with her friend Tina unexpectedly dived into a topic that made her blush in ten different shades of crimson.

Three years her senior, Martina Rozenberg—that was Tina's full name—happened to be one of Dr. Martin's new patients. Candy had met her a month ago, when a pretty red head had frantically pounded at the door of the Happy Clinic on one late afternoon, just before closing time, screaming she would die from a knee infection.

The red head, Miss Rozenberg, wasn't dying, of course, and it wasn't even an infection—it was just a scrape, deeper than a superficial wound but not deep enough to be considered a laceration. Dr. Martin was not amused. He was in a hurry to go to a nearby town to visit a relative, and Miss Rozenberg caused him to miss his train. Unaware of this important fact, Miss Rozenberg kept her excited babbling about things that had no relation whatsoever with her minor injury. It came to a point where Candy had to jump in to whisk Miss Rozenberg out of the clinic before the oblivious woman could exhaust what was left of Dr. Martin's dwindling patience.

But instead of bidding Candy farewell, Miss Rozenberg, turning deaf ears on Candy's stuttering protest, had dragged Candy by the elbow along the street into a small restaurant, about a block away from the clinic, and insisted that Candy stayed there to have dinner with her. Candy didn't have the heart to abandon the seemingly distraught Miss Rozenberg and ended up sitting through a full recount of the woman's life, which turned out to be quite riveting, even compared to her own life that never seemed to run out of excitement. And that was the beginning of a friendship between Candy and Miss Rozenberg—Tina.

Beautiful, brimming with youthful ardor, and fierce to speak her mind, Tina was one remarkable woman, none like any other Candy had ever met. When Dr. Martin commented Tina was what would he describe as another version of her with twice the amount of vigor and bravery, Candy couldn't find a reason to object and laughingly agreed. Tina was certainly that and so much more. Her rebellious nature reminded Candy of Terry, but her free spirited way of living, moving from place to place, perfectly conformed to Albert's nomadic lifestyle (what used to be his lifestyle—for having not recovered his memory, he seemed keen to adopt a more stable lifestyle, currently assuming a role as her friendly roommate).

In the short time they had made acquaintance with each other, Candy couldn't help but be drawn to Tina, and likewise Tina found Candy to be quite endearing. So it came to no surprise that the two women became fast good friends.

"Oh, Candy, my dear, dear, Candy, my dear, sweet, innocent Candice. Haven't you experienced bliss from a night of unbridled passion with a man?"

Violent fits of cough broke out of Candy's mouth. Of all the things her friend could ask...

Tina snickered. "That answers my question."

"What do you mean by that?" Candy pressed a folded napkin onto the trickle of tea hanging at the corner of her mouth.

Tina crossed her arms over her chest, an expectant look crossing her face. "So... Have you? You know, have sex, make love, copulating, humping-"

Candy scrambled to reach across the table and slapped a hand over Tina's mouth. "GOOD LORDS, TINA..." Her eyes darted from side-to-side. Then as she noted the curious looks directed toward her, she retracted her hand and leaned back in her chair. "How could you talk so casually about such _... unseemly_ things?" she continued in a near whisper.

"Unseemly, you say?" Tina huffed, her voice rising, but she quickly brought it down at Candy's warning glare. "I see nothing wrong with sex. It's not like we're talking about legalizing prostitution or selling opium. Trust me. It's the most mind-blowing experience you'll ever have in your entire life. The ultimate pinnacle of bliss."

"You must mean, something we shall experience after marriage, right?" Candy asked hesitantly. Tina spoke of the matter as though it materialized straight out of her own experience, but to suggest that would be an unspeakable offense—Tina was not married.

"Well... sweetie, there's nothing wrong with guarding your virginity for your beloved future husband, if that's what you prefer. But..." One manicured eyebrow raised, Tina leaned to pick her cup up, slender fingers curling around the porcelain handle. "You shouldn't deny yourself a delicious morsels of carnal pleasures." An impish smile curved her rouge lips as she took a gentle sip.

Candy's mouth dropped open at the scandalous suggestion. "TINA—” Candy quickly lowered her voice, wary of the deprecating glances from the two older women sitting two tables across from them. "I hope you're not just suggesting-"

"Do you even know what sex is?" Tina interjected, her tone mocking, as she put her cup back on the table.

"Of course, I do," Candy asserted, struggling not to cringe at the vulgar word being tossed about without the least bit of care, like a child's toy. Openly discussing the subject discomfited her to no end, but it was downright irksome whenever someone perceived her as a dingbat—she most definitely not a dingbat. "I read all about it in the book."

Tina's blue eyes widened with astonishment. "Is that right? Now, I must say that's surprising coming from you, Candy. But do tell... So which book have you read? Maybe it's something I haven't come across previously. I'd love to add that to my list. Who's the author?"

Candy clasped her hands to her chest, retrieving from her memory of what she could still remember. "Mmm... There are several. The biology of reproduction, the-"

Tina's fits of laughter, grating and excessively loud, attracted every single patron in the small cafe to direct their eyes toward the table she shared with Tina.

"Those... Those are school textbooks," Tina uttered in between gasp of chuckles, paying no heed to the scowl on Candy's face. "Did you just tell me that you learned about sex from textbooks? Candy, you're not serious, I hope. That's just simply hilarious."

"Fine. Laugh all you want. I thought those books provide all the details I need."

Halting her laughter at once, Tina stared fixedly at Candy without blinking for a good few seconds, as if there were horns growing on Candy's head, before swiftly flipping her purse open and pulling a book out. "Tell you what. Here, you can have this." Tina passed the book to Candy in a quick thrusting move, urging her to take it. "Read this. Then you'll know what I mean."

Candy examined the plain cover. It looked like an ordinary notebook, one she used for jotting down observations made during patient visit in the clinic. She thumbed to the first page and noticed the rows of neat handwriting from top to bottom. "What's this? Is this yours?"

"Well, yeah. Let's just say it's my poor attempt at writing a novel." The ever confident Miss Rozenberg cast her a bashful smile, adorable almost, something she had rarely seen.

"I didn't know you were an aspiring writer."

Tina's gaze lowered and landed on the book. "It was a side hobby. I traveled a lot from place to place, so whenever I felt lonely or just overwhelmed I would channel those feelings into my..." Tina let her voice linger for a moment before she finished in one beat, "c _reative_ writing."

Candy could totally relate to what Tina was saying. She had been there herself, alone, engulfed in pitch-black darkness, feeling as though everyone she had cared for had turned their backs on her. Although unraveling her mind loose and pouring everything out, from her fear to her dream, into her journal had helped from time to time, it was the constant awareness of having someone nearby that had managed to diminish the dreadful feeling of loneliness. Undoubtedly, Albert had become a part of her normal life, and that must have imparted the assurance that she needn't have to worry about being alone—at least not until he finally recovered from his amnesia and decided to return to his vagabond days.

"Say Candy... " Tina grasped Candy's hand, blue eyes sparkling with determination, lips stretching wider and wider into a grin. "Read it. It would give rise to an awakening of some sort. You would thank me later."

Candy's cheeks grew warm as she could only imagine what Tina was alluding to. "Oh all right, Tina. I would do it. I'll read _since_ it's your writing. Nothing more."

Surely, it couldn't be _that_ bad if Tina had written it. So she thought.

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

It was past six o'clock in the evening when Candy finally had some free time to read Tina's writing before Albert returned from work.

Her day at the clinic had been uneventful, leaving her with ample idle time, and with Tina's notebook at the forefront of her mind since the moment she had received it, she had been itching to slip it out of her bag and read its content but had decided against actually doing it since to be caught by Dr. Martin would've been terrible.

But now that she had the book right in front of her and she could begin to read it immediately, she only stared at it, as though it would pounce at her if she blinked.

No doubt, Candy was curious, but at the same time, she was anxious—she truly had no idea of what to expect. Tina had made it sound like it was one of those banned library books mentioned in the newspaper that had ignited an outrage among the older townspeople for the blatant exposition of lasciviousness. Although, Candy wouldn’t consider herself a conservative, Tina was more progressive in her way of thinking than her, and there was a line Candy drew with respect to what she deemed acceptable as reading materials. She was thoroughly appalled by what she had caught in quite whispers and giggles among her former colleagues from St. Joanna Hospital. A torrid love affair involving one man and two women was beyond the realm of her imagination, and to read such an odious plot that freely celebrated debauchery would make her tremble with shame. She just hoped there was still enough healthy conscience in Tina that her friend would steer clear of using any moral-degrading device in her story.

Candy took a deep breath and flicked to the first page. Cautiously, almost hesitantly, she began to read, absorbing Tina’s handwriting, one word at a time.

The first page was fine. There was no description of impropriety. So was the second and the third and the forth. In fact, she found the story to be rather engaging. And by the end of chapter one she found herself entirely immersed in the story, devouring paragraph by paragraph with vigorous tenacity, her initial apprehension long forgotten.

It didn't seem it would be _that_ bad. There was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, the story was about a young woman of the same age as hers. What could be so strikingly different than what she had experienced so far in her life?

 _A Summer to Remember_ —that was the title. It was about a young American woman by the name of Annabelle Gatwick narrating her last year in a private all-girls boarding school somewhere in the outskirts of London. The familiar setting was what helped ease Candy into the storyline at the beginning of her reading, as she began reliving her own experience in St. Paul with Annie and Patty through Annabelle and her two close friends, Elizabeth Moore and Joanne Jenkins.

The second chapter opened with Elizabeth inviting Annabelle and Joanne to spend their summer holiday in her parents' summer cottage in Northern Yorkshire. Again, everything started normal, as normal as any decent novel she had previously read, and as normal as the time she, Annie, and Patty had attended the summer school in Scotland. But as Candy would soon find out, this was the part when the story began to take into a more interesting turn for Annabelle.

One day, as the three friends sat over a sprawling blanket in the meadow, having finished their packed lunch, Annabelle, enraptured by the surrounding forest, decided to take a stroll by herself. The quietest among the three women, she was always drawn to nature—her favorite thing to do at her home in America was to wander out of the estate’s lush garden into the enchanting forest, searching for a perfect spot, where she could sit and scribble words into a poem.

So just as she had done in America, Annabelle scoured alongside the riverbed for that perfect spot, but instead of finding a place for her to sit down in solitude, she stumbled upon a group of rowdy men bathing in the river. In panic, she quickly threw herself behind the bush and hid there. Only once she heard the men leaving, she crawled out of the bush and stepped closer to the water edge, but as she hopped onto one of the huge boulders, a man burst out of the water, causing her to nearly lose her balance.

_I felt my heart drop. There was a man in the water._

_The man regarded me silently with a dazed look and glanced around._

_This would’ve been the perfect time for me to make my escape, but for a reason that I couldn’t explain, I couldn’t make my body move even an inch._

_"Miss! Could you please throw my claes to me?” the man asked, startling me out of my trance._

_I whirled around, intending to run back to the meadow as fast as my legs could take me, but that would’ve been an awful thing to do to anyone despite how inappropriate the situation might be. So I turned around to face him._

_“Miss? My claes, please.”_

_“Claes?” I merely repeated the foreign word, having not a clue of what it meant._

_The man pointed his finger to an area to my right. I gazed around until I found a pile of what appeared to be clothes lying on the pebbles covered ground. I gathered the pile into my hands and showed it to the man. “By claes, you must mean these, sir?”_

_“Aye... Could you throw those my way, miss?”_

_I hesitated for a brief moment but then moved closer to the water. “Umm… Okay. Here you go.” Mustering all my strength, I bit my lips and hurled the pile toward the man upon which he leaped forward, making a huge splash as he caught the pile of clothes with both hands, a second before they made a plunge into the water._

_“Thank you, miss.” The man, holding the pile of clothes above his head, beamed at me, flashing his pearly white teeth._

_I was about to reply but ended up swallowing a sudden lump in my throat when the man slowly rose from the water, brushing a hand over his slick hair and shaking his head from side-to-side, causing sparkling beads of water to fly all around him._

_Never had I laid my eyes upon such a marvelous sight. All my life, I had been fortunate to be lavished with many beautiful trinkets and gifts—but nothing had come even close to what stood in front of me. The feeling that was aroused couldn't be compared to what I had felt when I saw beautiful red roses blooming in mother's garden or when I unwrapped a gift father brought me from his business trip to Paris and found a beautiful dress. It was something foreign. It made my heart pound violently and my mouth dry. I was aware that it was absolutely improper for me to linger before a half naked man, but I couldn't tear my gaze away from the man's bare chest as it glistened under the sun._

_The man suddenly laughed and said—_

"Is the book really _that_ good?"

Candy jumped in her seat and gazed right into an amused face of her roommate as he leaned forward toward her from the other side of the table. "Albert-you're back," she blurted out, a little too cheerfully to sound normal. "How long have you been home?"

"Long enough that I've been standing here for nearly a minute." He cocked an eyebrow and strained his neck, attempting to read the writings on the page of the notebook. "What are you reading? Must be something extremely spectacular for you to have completely disregarded your surroundings."

Slapping the book close with a slam of hand, Candy displayed her best sunny smile to Albert, who cast her a startled look and straightened to his full height. "Nothing exciting. Just a story Tina wrote—" She leaped to her feet. "Are you hungry? I'll have something prepared for you right away."

A grin gradually formed across Albert’s lips. “You shouldn't need to trouble yourselves for tonight. Look!” He lifted a huge brown bag from the chair with one hand. “This pheasant would be enough to feed us for two straight days."

Candy gasped softly, raising a hand to cover her mouth. “Where did you get that from? It must have cost you a fortune."

"Not a penny. It was a gift from the manager at the zoo,” Albert simply replied.

"Is that right? How generous of him!"

”Ummm... yeah.” Albert rubbed at the back of his neck, one corner of his lips tilting upward but not quite into a half-smile. “He's a very nice man indeed.” Then he abruptly added, “I’ll prepare some mashed potatoes to accompany the grilled pheasant."

Candy shoved the book into her bag and followed Albert into the kitchen. She could continue her reading at a later time once Albert had gone to sleep. “I can help. I'll steam some green beans. We need to have a serving of vegetables too, you know, for a balanced healthy meal."

Chuckling, Albert leaned his back toward her, glancing over his shoulder, and tapped at her nose lightly with his index finger. "Yes, Nurse Candy."

Candy broke into small giggles. Tonight or any other night she had spent in the apartment would not have been as lively without Albert around, and somehow that made her think of Annabelle’s story. Even though she hadn’t chanced upon Albert bathing in the river during their first meeting in Lakewood, there had been a few accidental slip ups with their current living arrangement of sharing a room, when she had carelessly flung open the bathroom door only to find him still inside. Thank goodness in all instances he had been decent. But what would’ve happened if she were to find him fully undressed, without a single piece of cloth on his body?

It was then Candy realized the course of her thoughts and came to a halt in her track, staring at Albert’s retreating back.

She hadn’t just pictured herself walking in on a naked Albert, had she?

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this.
> 
> I didn't think I would enjoy writing this story, but I did, very much so.  
> So expect to see another chapter soon. :D
> 
> What do you think of the length? Is it too short? I was planning to maintain this length (max 2000 words) per chapter, which will allow me to update faster. But if you think I should make it longer, let me know.
> 
> As always, many hugs and kisses for all the kudos and comments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, chapter 3, just in time for Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy this because, by golly, I was having so much fun writing this one.
> 
> Before I forget, to all my readers in the US:
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> May you have a blessed and wonderful time celebrating with your friends and family.

Although it was quite the norm for the village residents to spend their weekend gathering in the town center, especially when the weather was pleasant—catching up with the town gossip mongers on the juiciest piece of news, basking in the early spring sun at the nearby park, or just dawdling in and out of the many shops lining the main street—it wasn’t for either Candy or Albert. They both worked on Saturday and on most occasions, on Sunday too. There were a few times, when Dr. Martin would give Candy a day off or send her home at midday, but Albert would still be at work. So for the two of them to stroll down the main street on Saturday afternoon, blending in with other local residents, was a rare opportunity.

"Candy, would you mind waiting here?” Albert suddenly asked as they stood at the pedestrian crossing. “I just saw umm… a coworker of mine passing by. I need to ask him something. You’re welcome to come with me, but I don't want to bore you with our talk about work."

“That’s fine. I can…” Candy paused for a moment and sneaked a glance down at the bag hanging against her hip, thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to resume reading Tina’s story. The part at which she had been forced to stop her reading had left her imagination running wild, and she couldn’t wait to finish reading that scene. “…browse around the shops.”

As it turned out, she couldn’t do any reading at all last night. Albert had remained in the living area for nearly the entire night, alternately writing and reading paper from the stack sitting in front of him. Of course, she couldn't have read Tina’s story with him right next to her. Well, she could, but she wouldn’t. If it had been a book she had borrowed from the library, she wouldn’t have borne an ounce of qualm. She wasn’t sure what he was working on but figured it was most likely something to do with his work and hadn't bothered to ask him more about that. Furthermore, she was too busy glancing at the wall clock while absently stroking Pouppe's coat, wondering whether Albert would retire to bed first or she would. It was neither. She couldn't recall what had truly happened. But she knew she must have fallen asleep somehow waiting for him, because when she had woken up in the morning, she found herself in his bed on the lower bunk, not hers. And most likely Albert had carried her to the bedroom since she didn't remember walking to her room or climbing into his bed.

“Shall we meet up back here in about an hour?” Albert suggested and quickly added, “and then we can go to the cafe by the park and you can order your favorite chocolate cake.”

Her eyes widened as she noted how his smile had developed into an ear-to-ear grin. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged, shoving both hands into his coat's pockets. “It’s been a while since we spent a day together, so why not do something fun while we have the chance?”

The last time they had done anything together that resembled fun was more than a month ago, and it wasn't even the kind of activity that they had planned. It happened when there had been an ominous blizzard that had practically buried the whole city with snow. Approximately five feet of snow had fallen in a span of a day, efficiently shutting down all means of transportation and communication. Suffice to say, she, Albert, along with the rest of the people who worked and lived in the greater Chicago area had been confined to their homes. Luckily, heeding the warning published in all the circulating newspaper, they had been well prepared and had stocked enough food and supplies that could sustain them for a week. The fun part began when they, together with other Magnolia Apartment residents, could finally push the main door open and dug their way out of the tons of snow. It had taken them hours before they could create a big enough tunnel that eventually led them out into the open air. Then left without nothing much to do, they had resorted to waste their time by playing in the snow.

“That’s true…” She smiled. “All right, I’ll see you back here in an hour.”

Albert gave a quick nod in affirmation and crossed the street. Once Candy saw him round a corner of a building and disappear, she strode toward the park and noticed an empty wooden bench below a sycamore tree that began to sprout with green leaves, a perfect reading spot.

"Candy—"

The loud shout caused Candy to cease in mid step, and she whirled around to find a woman, pressing a gloved hand against the hat atop her head as she marched toward her, striking copper hair flying every which way with each determined step.

Recognizing the face in an instant, Candy frowned. She hadn't expected to see Tina at all, as her friend had told her that she would be busy today. “Tina, what—"

"Is that a man I saw you talking to earlier?" Tina asked bluntly, without bothering to greet Candy first.

"Huh?"

Tina huffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, quit acting clueless, Candy. I’m not blind, you know. Everyone with eyes could clearly see that you were conversing with someone. A man. A tall man with blond hair."

"Oh I got it,” Candy exclaimed to which Tina didn’t appear the least bit amused. “You must be talking about Albert."

"Albert?” Tina furrowed her brows and expired a sarcastic chuckle, both hands on her hips. “I couldn't believe you. I thought we're friend—when are you going to tell me you have a fine looking man as your gentleman friend?”

Candy felt her cheeks burn. “Goodness, Tina…” A few awkward chuckles escaped her mouth. “It's nothing like that. He... He…” She suddenly felt at a loss of what she should tell Tina, her eyes darting off to the side, avoiding Tina's insistent gaze, before she managed to utter in one breath, “He's my brother."

"Your brother? I don’t remember you ever mentioned anything about a brother.” Tina stepped closer to Candy and cast her an accusing look. “Candy… Are you deliberately hiding your brother from me?"

Candy’s hands shot up, moving about in a placating gesture. “No, of course not. You got it wrong. It never came up in any of our conversation before."

A contemplative look flickered across Tina’s face. “Well, when you put it that way—that’s true. But now that he’s here—you’re going to _finally_ introduce me to your handsome brother, right Candice?" Tina implored, her grayish blue eyes sparkled with unrelenting glint.

There was no reason for Candy to refuse Tina whatsoever. It was normal to introduce her friends to Albert, as she had done in the past with her other friends, Archie, Annie, and the rest.  She even had mentioned about Tina to Albert a couple of times—he knew Tina was her friend. So it was about time for Albert to meet Tina. But for some reason the picture of Tina sliding closer to Albert and batting her eyelashes at him didn't bode so well for her.

"Umm... Sure. Why not? I mean he would be...” Candy stiffened as she caught sight of a familiar man dressed in an impeccable black coat crossing from the opposite side of the street and moving in their direction. “Is that…”

Tina turned to glance over her shoulder. “Huh? What are you looking at?”

Disregarding Tina’s question, Candy jogged toward the crossing, just when the man stepped onto the sidewalk.

"George—"

"Miss Candice!" The man twirled halfway to a stop, his dark beady eyes wide with shock.

Candy approached him with three long strides. “This is a nice surprise. What are you doing here? Is Uncle William here too?” She craned her neck, turning her head from side-to-side. Surely, she had not expected to meet Uncle William today of all days, but if it would happen today, she would be more than ecstatic. This had been her wish for a long while.

"Hello… Who may this be?” Candy felt a tap against her shoulder, prompting her to turn to her side where Tina stood with a smile that appeared a tad too friendly. “Candy—I can’t believe you that you’ve been hiding all these fine looking fellows from me,” Tina whispered through her smiling lips, her blue eyes affixed to George.

"Tina—he's Uncle William's personal assistant,” Candy whispered back a reproach behind a hand-covered mouth.

“Uncle who? Never heard of him.” Tina stepped forward and stretched a gloved hand toward George, her lips curving in a flirtatious smile that Candy had to restrain herself from cringing with embarrassment. “Hi, I'm Tina, Candy's friend."

George appeared unsure of what to do before he took Tina’s hand and shook it; all the while, Candy nearly broke into a laughter seeing Tina stare at her and George’s linked hands with bewilderment. “George Johnson. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Tina."

But Tina recovered quickly, and pulling her hand out George’s grasp, she smiled sweetly. “Likewise, Mr. Johnson."

Without allowing Tina to further make a fool out of herself, Candy jumped in, “I don't know where has Albert run off to. He said something about meeting a colleague from work. But this is great, George. I can finally introduce you to him."

“Yeah I’m _dying_ to meet this Albert too,” Tina chimed in, sending a glare toward Candy, her tone dripping with sarcasm, but Candy just ignored her, looking expectantly at George.

Faint creases formed across George’s forehead. “Albert, Miss Candice?"

Candy's smile grew wider. “Yes... You want to meet him, don’t you?”

George stared at her with a partly opened mouth, as though he wanted to ask something, but no question emerged from his mouth. Instead he said, “If he is your friend, then I would be more than happy to make his acquaintance."

“Well…” Tina drawled, looking visibly nettled as she fanned her face using her hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt this nice little chitchat, but rather than baking in the sun, letting our skin burn to crisp, why don't we continue this in the small coffee shop down the street?"

Tina was obviously exaggerating. While it was bright and sunny outside, it wasn’t nearly as sweltering as Tina had claimed, not even close. On the contrary, the persistent breeze blew frigid air, and Candy wouldn’t mind having a little bit of heat from the sunlight on her face. But sitting inside a cozy cafe while sipping a cup of hot tea sounded ten times nicer than standing on the crowded sidewalk. “That's a great idea, Tina. As a matter of fact, Albert and I are planning to go there later, but it would be no trouble at all if we go now.” 

"Fabulous! Your uncle can join us too, if he wants, Candy." Tina suggested lightly. "The more the merrier."

“Uncle William is not really my uncle," Candy corrected in a soft mutter and then added, "and I'm not sure he would want to join us." Candy shifted her focus to George, but from the three of them, it didn’t look like he embraced the idea of lounging in the coffee shop as warmly. "But you will, right George? You have to try the chocolate cake they serve at the cafe. It’s really good.”

“But Miss Candice—”

“Now… now… now, Mr. Johnson,” Tina cut in, wagging her index finger at George, and then slunk to position herself next to him. One of her gloved hands grazed over the lapels of his coat, as she appeared to be preoccupied brushing invisible lint off the pristine black fabric. “A fine gentleman wouldn't want to disappoint two lovely ladies, wouldn't you think so?” George threw a pleading glance at Candy, but she could only offer George a sheepish smile in return while Tina boldly wound an arm around his elbow. “Shall we, Mr. Johnson?" Tina tugged a reluctant George along, and Candy followed right behind them, giggling slightly at Tina's antics.

Seeing Tina and George walking next to each other, Candy couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at how tall Tina really was; she was about George’s height, which meant she was also about as tall as Albert. And that made her think of what would happen later once the two of them met. She could easily imagine how would Tina react—her friend would be all over Albert in seconds, just as she had with George. But what about Albert? Would he find Tina appealing?

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my! A tea party with Uncle William, Albert, George, and Tina? Who would want to miss that? That would be one heck of a tea party for sure. Poor George. Would he be able to survive that?
> 
> And what happened with the book? Oh well, it appears that Candy has forgotten about it as she's too busy thinking about Albert and Tina. Besides, she can always continue reading it after the tea party. It'll be more exciting then. ;)
> 
> So what do you think of the story so far? I'm moving really fast, aren't I?
> 
> Umm yeah... Like I mentioned earlier, it's going to be a long ride - so it is. But that doesn't mean it would be a boring and slow one. Because if you know me, I love sudden twists, drops, and turns. :evil cackles:
> 
> I really like playing with this new style I'm using. I can adjust the pace however I want, and I'll surely do that. You can bet on it. So don't be surprised if the pace suddenly drops to a near stop.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read the story. Many hugs and kisses for the kudos, faves, follows, and comments. I truly am grateful for all your support and encouragement. I will continue to do my best to deliver an entertaining chapter.
> 
> So stay tuned for chapter 4
> 
> Till next time
> 
> -forever-


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to the coffee shop should've been a short one, but navigating through the horde of people that milled about the sidewalk without bumping elbows with them required savvy maneuvering skill, and subsequently it doubled the amount of time needed to reach the destination.

And this was one of those times Candy wished she were a taller woman with longer legs, so she didn't have to march in rapid giant steps just to keep up with the taller people in front of her, namely Tina and George. The two of them hadn't bothered to spare a glance over their shoulders to check on Candy, seemingly too busy with whatever they were engaged in. George, with his arm chained to Tina's, had no choice but to keep his focus on Tina as she kept on babbling excitedly. At a glance, the two certainly made an interesting pair, like an over eager wife dragging her unwilling, home-loving husband out for a day of shopping in the town.

As they crossed the street, Candy, noting how the distance separating her and Tina and George had widened considerably, with a few passersby obstructing her path in-between, quickened her pace. But upon reaching a newsstand at the corner of the street, her speed gradually dropped; her gaze fell on the rows of circulations displayed against the wooden wall shelves.

Since her return from New York, Candy had stopped her impulsive habit of buying newspapers and magazines whenever there had been an article about Terry featured in it. The last time she had read about him was a few months back, and it wasn't a glowing review on his performance neither it was a glittering article on his rise to stardom. On the contrary, it was a rather disturbing news of what was perceived to be his downward spiral into depression that had ultimately led to his disappearance. She couldn't deny that she indeed had worried about Terry, if the horrible incident involving the despicable Neil Leagan was any indication, but somehow her worry had not materialized into her rushing to search for Terry, which would be something she would do in a heartbeat had this occurred two years ago.

Perhaps she realized there was nothing she could do. Perhaps she had truly moved on from him. Perhaps she finally accepted the hard-to-swallow truth that Terry and her was never meant to be.

Taking a deep breath, Candy scanned the bold headline printed on the front page of the weekend edition of Chicago Daily News, and as soon as she finished reading the first line, she heard Tina hollering at her.

”Candy—are you coming?"

Candy took a step back from the shelves. Seeing that Tina and George were waiting for her, standing in front of a shop a few feet ahead, she leaped to a small run toward them.

"Sorry... " Candy gave them a sheepish smile.

Tina just rolled her eyes at Candy, and they resumed their walk. This time Tina made sure Candy was next to her.

A short while later, the three of them entered the coffee shop and were immediately ushered in to their table in the middle of the room.

Candy laid the menu face up in front of her on the table. She knew what she wanted, but Tina didn’t seem to care about ordering as her friend was more interested in talking with George. Actually, it was more like Tina badgering George, asking him various questions that Candy thought was way too personal, such as his marriage status and his age, but he didn’t seem to mind and answered each question calmly in his monotonous voice. However, he was left speechless when Tina questioned him whether he had ever visited a brothel. Thinking that Tina had gone out of line, Candy quickly interrupted and reminded them that they should order something before they were kicked out of the coffee shop. Tina threw a suspicious glance at Candy but begrudgingly agreed.

As they perused the menu, Tina suddenly let out a long exasperated sigh and muttered, “Bloody—I’ve completely forgotten I have to meet someone in the city.” She looked at them with frustration clearly displayed on her face. “I’m sorry for having to bail out on our small gathering, but I simply cannot afford to miss this. He’s helping to set up a job interview for me. You two please go on without me.” Then she snapped her gaze to Candy. “And Candy—don’t think I would let you go free. Whether you like it or not, you _will_ introduce your brother to me soon.”

“Tina—you’re looking for a job?” Candy asked, brushing aside Tina’s threatening glare. This was the first time Tina showed any interest in obtaining a job. Tina once told her she hadn’t resolved for how long she would remain in Chicago. It could be only for another month. It could be a few months. But with Tina holding an employment, it could only mean she would stay longer.

Tina’s expression softened and a smile curved her lips. “Yes, I’ll tell you all about it, once I get it. Well, I have to run now.” Tina rose from her seat and brushed a hand over the wrinkles on her long gray skirt. Only then Candy noted the attire assemble Tina wore today, a full length skirt with a tailored suit jacket. Tina dressed much nicer, if not more conservative, than all the other time she had ever seen her.

“And Mr. Johnson, it was nice talking to you.” Tina smiled at George upon which he only gave her a weak nod in response. Then she walked away, waving her hand at them.

"I wasn't aware you had a brother, Miss Candice,” George commented a few moments later after Tina had left.

Candy stiffened, fingers clutching at the menu in a near desperate grip, crumpling the edges slightly. “Well, you see... I don’t… I mean I…” her voice trailed off. She had no idea how to explain about Albert to George without sounding like she had been hiding a man in her apartment. The issue hadn’t crossed her mind when she had enthused to George about her intention to introduce him to Albert.

“Please don’t feel obligated to give an explanation, Miss Candice,” George assured, regarding her with a steady gaze. “I’m sorry for making that remark. I shouldn't have done that. It wasn’t my place.”

Now she just felt awful. “Oh, no, it's perfectly all right... I—"

“So here you are, Candy.” A voice, piercing through the noises from inside the cafe, called all of a sudden, and Candy saw Albert a few feet ahead advancing toward them. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I thought we agreed—” Albert halted a step away from the table, his gaze on George’s back. “I see you have company."

Candy rushed out of her seat and stood next to Albert while George rose to his feet slowly and turned to face them.

“Albert—I’m so glad you’re here. I would like you to meet George. He’s Uncle William’s personal assistant.”

For a second, Candy thought she saw surprise and confusion float across George’s face as he stared at Albert, but she quickly dismissed it as nothing when Albert, taking the initiative, stepped closer and offered his hand to George, a friendly smile on his face. “Hi, I'm Albert."

Instead of responding, George kept staring at Albert, as if he had not seen Albert’s proffered hand, before he abruptly grabbed Albert’s hand. “George Johnson," he stated, still appearing distraught as he shook Albert’s hand.

"Nice to meet you, George."

Again, George seemed to be having trouble deciding how he should reply to such a simple remark, and it took him more than a few seconds to finally produce a response, “Yes, sir—I mean likewise.”

Well, this was interesting, if not weird. It was the total opposite of how Candy had pictured the meeting between George and Albert would enfold. She had expected George to receive Albert in a more respectful, cordial manner, as he had demonstrated with Tina earlier in spite of Tina’s improper advances and frivolous questionnaire. Instead George had clammed up, acting a bit standoffish—maybe even anxious to an extent, and that baffled Candy to no end. As far as she could remember from her interactions with George in the past, she had never seen him lose his poise even at times of crisis. She couldn’t shake off the feelings that George, for whatever reason, didn’t want to be here.

"Miss Candice—I think I should leave now.”

Candy looked at George with disbelief, having her suspicion confirmed almost right after she had pondered about it. She couldn’t believe she was right. George _really_ didn’t want to be here, and that just didn’t make sense to her. Was it really because of Albert? She glanced at Albert then back at George. "Now? Why so soon? We haven't ordered our food yet. You must try the chocolate cake here first before you leave. It’s the best.”

Albert placed a hand over Candy’s shoulder lightly. “Candy—George is probably busy. We shouldn't interfere with his duty.” Albert’s tone sounded sterner than normal to Candy’s ears despite the smile that still adorned his lips.

“Oh right… ” Candy gave George an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, George. Uncle William is probably looking for you. Well, I’m glad at least you had the chance to finally meet Albert. Please send my regards to Uncle William. And if he is upset with you, then just tell him it’s my fault.”

George’s gaze darted to Albert and lingered there for a moment before traveling back to her. “Uhhh... mmm sure... I would be sure to pass your regards to him, when I—the next time I see him. Well, see you, Miss Candice, and... Uhmmm... Sir." He nodded at Albert slightly.

Candy was sure now that George was probably feeling unwell today, which would explain him acting weird, and she was about to suggest him to take some rest when Albert patted George’s arm lightly and said, "I'll walk with you, George. I have some questions I want to ask you about this naughty girl.” Albert gestured at her with his thumb.

“WHAT!!!” Candy’s face contorted into an irritated scowl as she felt a sudden regret for introducing Albert to George. “Then I probably should come along too."

Albert laughed and draped an arm over Candy's shoulder, coaxing Candy back to her seat. “I was just kidding, Candy. Why don't you order a few snacks for us? Feel free to order anything you want—it'll be my treat.” He picked up the menu from the table and handed it to Candy.

Candy regarded Albert with a skeptical look as she held the menu in her hand. For some reason, she felt Albert was not being straightforward with her, but she refrained from voicing her thought. Besides, she would rather enjoy a peaceful time eating her favorite cake than having to bicker with Albert over a trivial matter. “Anything?”

“Yep,” Albert merely affirmed with a grin.

“Well, then, I shouldn’t hesitate anymore. Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure to order _anything_.” She waved the menu at Albert to punctuate her point as he and George began to make their ways out of the coffee shop. Albert threw her one quick smile before the door swung shut behind him.

What supposed to take a few minutes at the most turned to more than ten minutes and then to fifteen minutes, and Candy soon found herself riling with impatience as she took another bite of her chocolate cake, counting the seconds since she had seen Albert walk out with George.

All her orders of four slices of different kinds of cakes, a bowl of caramel-ginger candies, and a pot of chamomile tea had been delivered and laid out on the table, and the tea had probably become cold by now. Yet Albert still had not returned. What could he possibly be discussing with George? The two men didn’t even know each other that well—she had just introduced them not too long ago, and George had acted so uneasy around Albert, as though Albert was someone he would rather not associate with. But this was supposed to be their first meeting—unless George had seen Albert before. Candy couldn’t dismiss that the possibility was there. When she had met Albert, he had been wandering about in the Lakewood Estate, so there was a chance George could have spotted him as well. And then there was London, where both of them had been there also around the same time—not that she had seen them together, but it opened up another possibility. She should prod George more the next time she saw him.

"So? What have you ordered?” Albert’s voice suddenly reached her ears followed by the grating sound of the bottom of the chair leg scrapping the wooden floor. “Plenty of sweets to give us sugar rush that can last until Monday morning, I presume?”

Candy spun her head sideways, unaware of how close Albert was sitting until she found herself nose-to-nose with him, the blue in his eyes, reminding her of the color of the sky when the sun shone brightly without a wisp of cloud in sight. It was one of the prettiest color of blue she had ever seen. “Umm... yeah..." she mumbled, her eyes scanning his face as she noted how soft the pale skin seemed, that she felt a sudden pull to run her fingers over it and sweep away the strands of blond hair that veiled his forehead.

Albert was not a bad looking man at all. In fact, he was quite a handsome fellow, just as Tina had claimed.

"Candy—is there something wrong with my face?"

Candy stared blankly at Albert's grinning face and yanked herself away from Albert in an instant.

“If I didn't know any better I would say you, miss, were quite mesmerized by my utter handsomeness,” Albert remarked, propping his chin on his hand, his lips twisting with hints of mischief, his gaze penetrating.

Candy swiftly bowed her head and stared at her half eaten chocolate cake. ”Don't be ridiculous. I wasn't. I was just thinking about something. That’s all. It has nothing to do with you,” she muttered, her cheeks searing, her heart racing as a stream of deep chuckles rumbled in her ears. "Where have you been anyway?" she retorted with a pout. "What were you asking George about me? You took so long. I was going to finish all the food and leave you nothing."

Albert gave Candy an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry... I saw this." He placed a pristine brown leather bound journal on the table. "I thought you might like it."

Candy's eyes widened with realization as she picked up the journal, holding it against her chest. It was the item that had caught her eyes the second they had stepped into the stationery store, their last stop before he had left her to talk to his associate from work. "How do you know? I debated whether I should buy it, but I thought it was too much."

Albert chuckled. "You were not exactly being discreet about it. You were cradling it and putting it back on the table and grabbing it again and—"

"All right, I got your point," Candy interjected quickly and unable to contain her joy any longer, she smiled. "Thank you... You shouldn't have, you know. But thank you."

"You're most welcome, Candy." Albert returned Candy's smile with a grin, but a flash of concern wiped away any sign of glee from his face. "So are you still mad at me?"

Candy studied Albert's face in silence, wondering if she should ask him whether he recognized George from anywhere, but decided she could ask him later. "If you promise you'll keep buying me stuff for every offense you make. Then no, I'm not."

Another chuckle broke out of Albert's mouth. "A nice proposition but I'm afraid I must reject. Otherwise, I would be penniless by the end of the day." He contorted his face in an exaggerated pitiful look, causing Candy to roll her eyes and then erupt into quiet giggles.

Candy heaved a soft sigh and put the journal back on the table, a smile of gratitude forming on her lips as her eyes sought Albert's. "Thank you, Albert... Really, thank you for this." Her gaze drifted to the journal briefly. "I wish I could give you something in return. What do you want? I could try to get it for you as long as it's not too expensive."

Albert's expression turned thoughtful for a moment before he leaned closer toward Candy, his gaze, intense and deep, locking with hers. "Do you know what I really want?" His voice sank to a near whisper.

Candy swallowed and shook her head mechanically, suddenly having trouble talking.

"I want your..." Albert's face inched closer still, that Candy could feel his warmth breath fanning against her face, and for a reason she couldn't explain, she found herself eyeing his lips—his lips that was only a hair's breadth away, his lips that parted slightly and looked smooth and soft.

"Chocolate cake," Albert blurted the last two words aloud in one beat, snatching the plate of chocolate cake under Candy's stunned gaze.

Candy blinked, staring at Albert, who seemed to pay no heed to her as he cut a small piece of chocolate cake with his fork and brought it to his mouth.

What had just happened?

Had she thought Albert was about to kiss her?

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this and for all the kudos. You're all the best <3
> 
> I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter and most likely will continue to revise and refine it. 
> 
> The chapter is very challenging to write. All four characters are having their own inner conflict, but I attempt to show all from only one POV. I hope I managed to convey them properly.
> 
> Regardless, I hope you still find the chapter entertaining.  
> As always, please don't hesitate to let me know if you spot any mistake. 
> 
>  
> 
> Till next time
> 
> -forever-


	5. Chapter 5

_"They liked your sample manuscript, Tina. And they agreed you've fulfilled all the requirements listed. But they don't think you are the most appropriate candidate for the position. I'm sorry."_

Same old story. Different time and place. But the message was always the same. She was good but never good enough.

So much for having the skill—if it was even accurate to describe it as such. Clearly, the people at The Chicago Examiner hadn't believed she had one. Perhaps she should have listened to her brother and returned home. It didn't look like she would achieve anything in this lifetime.

Tina took a long drag off her cigarette and blew the puff of white smoke through her pursed lips, the hat that had once adorned her head lying next to her on the concrete sidewalk at the corner of a narrow alley flanked between two tall buildings. The dark corner had been her place of refuge for the past hour or so, as she had wallowed in the misery of having to face yet another disappointment and failure. It was barely past six o'clock in the evening but the thick mass of clouds had soaked the vibrant dusk, leaving the sky draped in somber gray, as drab as her current mood.

"Miss Tina—"

Her head whipped in the direction of the familiar deep voice, and she blinked upon finding a dark haired man standing under the streetlamp, watching her with something akin to surprise on his face. Her lips stretched into a smile. She hadn't expected to see anyone, let alone someone who would know her by name, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have company during one of her darkest days. The man appeared harmless enough. "Oh hi, George. Come sit with me." She patted at the empty spot next to her.

George seemed to deliberate for a moment before he eventually walked toward her but instead of sitting down, he remained standing a few feet away from her. "I presume your meeting didn't go so well? Were you able to make it on time?"

Tina smirked. "I didn't know you were interested in my personal affair, George."

"I didn't know you could develop a smoking habit within a day either, Miss Tina," George replied immediately, his voice calm and even, dark gaze fastened on the lit cigarette gripped between her fingers.

A jarring laughter rang out of Tina's mouth. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, George." Tina raised the cigarette to her mouth but it was yanked out of her fingers before it could even touch her lips.

Jumping to her feet, Tina glared at George as he threw the cigarette on the ground and used the sole of his shoe to crush it into a flattened tobacco mess. "Bloody-hell! Why did you do that for?!"

George just looked at her calmly, as though he hadn't done anything wrong. "Miss Candice would be very upset if she saw her friend routinely engaging in a foolish behavior."

"Candy?" Tina's gaze drifted aimlessly as an image of her friend smiling with a childlike glee flashed in her mind. "She's such a darling, isn't she George?" Tina remarked wryly, lowering herself to settle back onto the concrete sidewalk. "Everyone seems to be fond of her. Dr. Martin… You certainly do, and her Uncle William must have adored her very much as well. Then there's her brother Albert, whom I haven't met, but I bet he dotes on her a lot. Well, hell, I like her a lot too." She heaved a long sigh, a wistful smile curving her lips. "If only I could be more like her... Maybe I would be loved and adored more." Her voice faded, drowned by the sound of moving vehicles and car horns.

When Tina had first seen Candy in the clinic, two days after she had arrived in Chicago, she hadn't expected she would bother to befriend the pretty nurse with sunny disposition. Candy had the things she had always wanted but would never have; blond hair and petite figure—any man would prefer those over the dull red mop on her head and her too tall of a figure. She recalled how her male colleagues had shied away from asking her to dance in a party, and it had been Claude who had eventually come to rescue her from the utter embarrassment of having to stand like a piece of a marble statue while other women of her age, all blond and petite, were merrily twirling with their partners on the dance floor.

But contrary to the opinion she had established based on her observation of most petite blond she had interacted with in the past, Candy was different. She wasn't like the empty-headed, pretty dolls, who seemed to attract the entire male student population in her school or like the conniving, two-faced witch who had stolen her darling Erwin. Candy might be a tad naive and too gullible at times but certainly not dumb. Those innocent traits, though they could occasionally make her roll her eyes with frustration, were rather amusing. But it was Candy's compassionate heart that truly drew her in, something she knew she would never be capable of nurturing herself.

"Miss Candice is Miss Candice. You are you, Miss Tina. Miss Candice is blessed with her set of good qualities, and I'm sure you have yours as well," George monotonous voice dispelled the silence between them, prompting Tina to direct her attention to him. "And, frankly, I don't think you would still wish to be in Miss Candice's shoes if you were aware of all the misfortunes that had befallen her."

Tina kept mum, absorbing what George had just told her. She felt both disappointed and guilty. True, Candy and her were friends. But, clearly, there were still a lot of things she didn't know about Candy—she wasn't even aware Candy had a brother until today, neither had she ever guessed Candy could have belonged to an elite family. Yet at the same time, she hadn't been as honest with Candy either. While she had enthusiastically shared with Candy the abbreviated version of her life story, how she had moved from place to place, Candy didn't know the _real_ reason why she was in Chicago, or that Martina Rozenberg was nothing like the confident and winsome woman Candy believed she was, or that she wasn't even a Rozenberg.

Ironically, the one person who had caught a glimpse of her real miserable self was a man that was practically a stranger, whom she had just met a few hours ago.

"To be fair, I've gone through a lot as well, but I don't know if any of my experience constitutes a misfortune—a curse would be more accurate. Anyway, who cares about that trivial matters?" Tina waved a hand in a dismissive gesture and brought her gaze back to the dingy red bricks lining the building in front of her. "How about you, George? Have you ever wished you were someone else? Aren't you tired playing old man William's bodyguard?" She propped herself with both hands planted on the concrete floor and leaned back, chin tipped high up as she looked at George.

"For your information, I'm not a bodyguard and neither Master William is an old man."

Tina's eyebrow rose at George's quick retort. His voice sounded normal, but Tina could detect irritation lurking beneath it.

"It was never a choice," George continued. "If anything, I considered it a true privilege to be able to serve his family. And no, Miss Tina. I'm fine to be my own self. I wouldn't like to be anyone else. I'm quite content assuming my own role as George Johnson."

Tina stayed quiet for a moment and then roared into laughter. Pulling her legs in and then folding them over the other, she pivoted on her seat so that she sat facing George. "Oh George, you're so funny. Everyone in the world aspire to be someone greater. But you? You're quite content living your life playing a measly role as someone's attendant? Don't be ridiculous. That's rather pitiful, I must say. Did you owe your life to your Master William or something?" she taunted, her eyes scrutinizing George's face for any nuanced reaction, but she found nothing, not even a subtle twitch. The man possessed an amazing self control.

"Miss Tina, do you still need a job?"

George's question caught Tina off guard, not because he had just completely brushed aside her hurtful jabs without batting an eye. Rather, it was because she hadn't anticipated he would probe more about the bloody job. It wasn't a topic she was eager to discuss with anyone, not right at this moment when the wound was still raw and bleeding.

"You know George... The funny thing is: I don't really need to work. I do want to have a job, but I don't need it. Am I crazy?" Tina scoffed at herself, averting her gaze from him. "It's not for money. I have plenty. My brother makes sure I have sufficient funds every month to cover all my needs."

It wasn’t a lie. She had long given up attempting to return the money back to Claude. Her brother, who could be irrationally overprotective at times, was one stubborn man. He wouldn’t yield. The last time she had tried to fight him, he had ended up sending his personal attendant to her, and the stout man, who talked as though he had fishbone stuck in his throat, wouldn’t leave her alone until she had finally acquiesced.

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, why do you need a job?"

"My! Aren't you a bit talkative now George?" Tina sneered. "I don't remember you spoke more than a few words when we were at the coffee shop. Do you usually become chirpy at night?"

"Forgive my rudeness... But you were not exactly a tetchy feline licking her wound either."

At first, Tina could only stare fixedly at George with mouth slightly ajar before bursting into fits of vigorous laughter that caused her to shed some tears. "Gods, George... I must give it to you—you play sarcasm rather well." Using the tip of her middle finger, she flicked at the tear clinging at the corner of her eye. "You would make a fine lawyer and thrive in the courtroom. I think I'm beginning to like you even more now. I'm glad we have this stimulating chat. We should hang out more often. Maybe next time we should meet in the bar. I wonder if you'd be as perky as Candy when you're inebriated."

Deliberately ignoring Tina's crude quip, George said, "If you still wish to have a job and the line of work is a matter of less importance to you. You can go to a flower shop in downtown Libertyville. Just inform the owner that George Johnson has sent you."

"An old lady friend of yours owns the place, George?" Tina threw George a sly smile, but when she discerned the faint wrinkles on his brows, she swiftly supplied, "I'm kidding—you don't need to give me the evil eye." A grateful smile bloomed across her lips. "Thank you for your kind offer, George… I'll consider it."

George didn't reply, and Tina also refrained from making another comment. She figured she must have exhausted the man, making him spit out more words than he would normally utter in a day.

"Come, Miss Tina," George suddenly said, prompting Tina to look up at him. She could hardly believe her eyes. There was a smile on his face—maybe it was a smirk. It was faint, really faint, nearly imperceptible hidden behind his thick dark mustache, but she knew it was there. "I could drop you off at the train station. This area is not safe at night."

Tina tilted her head back. The sky had darkened into menacing black swirls with no stars or moon in sight—a sure sign that rain was imminent.

Propelling herself off the sidewalk, Tina stood next to George. "Aye, Mr. Johnson. You're actually not bad at all despite your austere look." She inclined her head toward him, eyes leisurely scanning his face while George seemingly struggled hard not to flinch at the proximity. "But you should smile once in a while, you know. It'll do you good. Perhaps you could even get lucky with the ladies?" One of her brows rose in an impish arch.

Heaving a loud sigh, George stepped back and turned on his heel, walking away from her, without sparing a glance.

"Wait George! You're not actually mad, are you?" Tina yelled.

But George didn't slow down his brisk pace, so Tina scrambled to retrieve her hat and scurried after him. "Would it be all right?" She took one long stride to catch up to his side. "I mean are you sure your Master William will not be looking for you?"

"Sir William will not be needing my assistance tonight."

"I see… He must be busy pleasing the lady of the house then."

George broke into a coughing fit.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Tina quirked a brow at him.

"I didn't say that—"

The fading echo of Tina's laughter rippled across the quiet alley as the unlikely pair continued their advance toward the livelier part of the block that were bustling with early evening rush hour traffic of cars and people alike.

 

*************************

 

With Tina’s notebook tucked securely between her arm and chest, Candy held her breath and tiptoed barefoot out of the dark bedroom, pulling the door close as gingerly as possible. One hand grasped onto the doorknob, holding it in a tight grip. Only once a muted click filled her ears, she released the knob.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

Earlier, as she lied on the bed facing the ceiling, she had already given up on the idea that she would be able to read Tina’s book tonight and had resolved to try again tomorrow. Albert had been outside in the living room working on something as he had done on the previous night. But after about an hour or so, he entered the room and went to bed straightaway. He must have been exhausted because only a few minutes after that, she could hear the steady rhythm of his breathing mixed with occasional soft snores, but she had waited for another five minutes before she was absolutely sure that he was sound asleep. Climbing down the wooden ladder from the top bunk to the floor without making any noises in the dark had been challenging—near to impossible. Every time she took a step the wood creaked aloud, and she stiffened, anticipating Albert to call her—he never did, only Pouppe emitted a muffled screech in surprise before going back to sleep without further fussing.

And now here she was in the dark living room.

With careful steps, Candy plodded to the table in the middle of the room and dropped the book on top, hands reaching for an oil lamp and a small matchbox next to it that sat on one corner of the table. Soon, the flame burst alive, and a stream of light poured out of the glass chimney, casting the room with gentle amber glow. She swiftly slid into the chair and laid the book open in front of her, thumbing impatiently to the page she had last read.

At last, she could continue her reading, and once she began, it didn’t take long at all for her to completely lose herself in Annabelle’s story, turning page after page with an eagerness that made her nearly tear the paper.

The more she read the deeper she was submerged into the story.

Candy sighed, gulped, gasped, muttered, and giggled, as though she was Annabelle—becoming Annabelle, living Annabelle’s life, feeling Annabelle’s excitement, fear, surprise, anger, and joy. She laughed freely along with Annabelle at Joanne’s crazy antics of nearly setting the table inside the parlor on fire. She felt deep anguish when Annabelle received the news that her mother had fallen gravely ill. Then when Annabelle earnestly confessed to herself that she had fallen deeply in love with the handsome Ian McHenry, the bathing Scotsman she had stumbled upon in the woods, Candy found herself longing for the very same man with hair as bright as the golden sun and eyes as blue as the sparkling clear ocean in the tropics.

She could feel herself reeling with giddy anticipation until the handsome Scotsman finally gave Annabelle’s her first kiss in the rain. And she shouted along with Annabelle in jubilation.

_He kissed me long and deep._

_He kissed me until I became breathless._

_He kissed me until I could feel the ground no more._

Candy sighed in wistfulness. She craved for the passionate kiss Annabelle received from the Scotsman, the _real_ passionate kiss she never had.

With each paragraph, as Annabelle fell deeper in love, so did Candy yearn more for a man like Ian McHenry. She wondered if she would ever be as lucky as Annabelle and found her true love one day.

Then somewhere in the middle of chapter five, Candy felt her heart begin to thump, accelerating at each passage read. Her breathing ragged, cheeks burning, she squirmed in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs, as words and the conjured images those words generated swam in her head. Her body hummed with weird, funny sensations she couldn't describe in words.

_His kisses tasted like honey, that I could never stop wanting for more. But it was his tongue I couldn't live without. It made my body tingle with pleasure I never knew existed._

_His fingers, slender yet sturdy, drew invisible patterns over my skin. I held my breath and bit my lips hard as he pulled on the strings that held my chemise. The flimsy fabric fell limp down to my waist. I felt the cold breeze brushing over my bare chest. The cold was short lived, for I soon felt myself feverish when he molded my breasts against his palms and laid gentle kisses behind my ear, down to my neck, past my collarbone, and farther down still. I exhaled sharply, waiting, anticipating. And finally a vigorous sound burst out my lips when his lips, moist and warm, gently kissed the pert peaks on my breasts, right and left.  
_

Another page was turned, a loud gasp, and Candy suddenly hurled the book across the room. The scene was replayed in vivid details over and over. Her mind scrambled to understand what her body was saying.

The word scandalous came to mind.

Yet there was no intercourse.

But it wasn't just a kiss either. It was definitely more than a kiss, so much much more. There was kissing but not the kind she knew. A kiss on the lips was just the beginning. And then there was touching. Lots and lots of touching. Clothes were treated as nuisance as being completely naked became a necessity. Touching and kissing only intensified once every piece of clothing was discarded. Every inch of skin was explored, felt, and tasted. Nothing was spared.

Still, there was no intercourse. But bliss was clearly displayed on their faces, on their voices.

It took Candy more than a minute to regain her composure and another one whole minute of intense staring before she eventually retrieved the book from the floor, grasping it tightly in her trembling hands.

She had to read it. She had to read it to the last page, even if it would make her blush profusely for hours, for the whole night, the whole week. If anything, it would be to fulfill a promise to a friend. She couldn't lie to Tina. She wouldn't. She had told her she would read it—and she would. So she resumed her reading.

Tina’s writing was not like anything she had ever read before. True, no two stories were alike, but Tina’s was just… different. It wasn’t like any literary works she had grown up with. Not Mark Twain. Not Dickens. Definitely not Alcott, her favorite author. It wasn’t poetry either. Well, maybe it was. A different kind of poetry that was. The words sang to her. The passages seduced her and lured her in with colorful, stirring imagery.

So even though when Candy began again, her pace was much slower, as she had to avert her gaze from the paragraph she was reading for more than twice in a row and take a deep calming breath before she could finish reading the page, she couldn’t fight the strong pull to satisfy her curious mind. From shock to borderline distaste, to nervously accepting, to slowly enjoying, once again, she found herself buried deep in the world where Annabelle Gatwick lived.

As the clock continued to tick its way to dawn, with each flick of her thumb to a new page, the writings blurred into black fuzzy letters. Sleepiness that had been absent before gradually crept in on her, and Candy couldn’t contain a big yawn from escaping as she lifted her gaze from the book. But upon seeing a man with piercing blue gaze and golden hair that glimmered in the flickering lamp, she froze.

“Candy…”

Candy blinked, an unsure murmur slipping through her lips, “Albert?”

Somehow she thought she had just seen Ian McHenry.

 _“_ Have you been reading all this time? It’s late.” Albert sauntered toward her and glanced at the book, worry wedged itself in the creases on his brows.

Realizing she must have completely lost track of time, Candy gave Albert a rueful smile. “I’m almost done.”

From the way Albert furrowed his brows at the book, it seemed as though he was about to question her about it, but he only let out a sigh. “Okay. You should go to bed soon. Or I might end up carrying you back to the bedroom like last night.”

“So you really did carry me back to the room.”

Yawning and rubbing the back of his head at the same time, Albert replied with his sleepy voice, “Well, I couldn’t let you sleep here. You might get sick.”

Her lips curved in gratitude. “Thank you, Albert.”

He smiled in return and walked back toward the bedroom. “Goodnight, Candy. Don’t stay too long.”

“I won’t. Goodnight, Albert.”

Only then as she watched the door swinging to a close behind him, it dawned on her that her _Prince of the Hill_ was a Scotsman too, just like Ian McHenry, and Candy chuckled in amusement at that funny coincidence.

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter slowly paves the path forward for the main plot to unfold.  
> Not much on Candy but more on Tina this time.  
> But Candy has made good progress with her reading ;)  
> And yes, Tina is an important character. 
> 
> As far the word limit goes-what word limit? :D
> 
> This chapter is very fun to write. Two different scenes with very different tone and style.
> 
> I just hope they convey the message clearly and you still find the story entertaining regardless.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


	6. Chapter 6

The rapid clicking of heels diminished into muffled tapping as the shimmering, polished Carrara marble gave way to thick woven Persian runner. Less than a minute later the rhythmic tapping dwindled to sporadic taps before it ceased completely, drowned by loud buzzing of indistinct noises. Tina stood by the entryway, eyes peering at the row of figures sitting by the bar counter through the thick white haze of smoke.

It appeared she was early.

Rouge lips curved with satisfaction, head held high, Tina navigated her way in the dimly lit room past the sitting area toward the bar counter, ignoring the incredulous and lewd gazes directed to her. It was infuriating that even in the new era there would always be a group of narrow minded idiots, who perceived women either as objects or their personal maids. Huffing inwardly, Tina hoisted herself and slid onto the only empty tall stool at the bar. She barely settled in her seat, resting her elbows against the counter, and was about to peel her gloves off, when the bartender approached her.

The white haired man greeted her with a familiar corteous tilt at the corner of his mouth. “What would you like for tonight, madam?”

Tina smiled and tugged at her glove, rolling it off her hand. “The usual, Harry. Gin with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon and a splash of soda water.”

The bartender, Harry Smith, nodded in acknowledgment and immediately busied himself preparing her cocktail.

If only making a decision were as simple as ordering her favorite drink. Alas, it never was.

It took a nightlong deliberation, weighing the pros and cons and conjuring different possible scenarios from worst to best, before she had ultimately elected to give Chicago another chance. It hadn’t been an easy decision to make, but she had done it, and for once in a long while she felt she had done something right.

After having to encounter yet another rejection—this time by the Examiner—it was tempting, really, to just abandon her goal and return home to succumb to whatever fate awaited her.

But Tina knew, although giving up might seem to be the easy way out, it would chain her to a bleak future, where she would live a very unfulfilled life, full of regrets and self loathing. So as long as she was still alive and well, she would not give up and would continue to strive forward, doing what she wanted to do, not what others commanded her to do.

While she waited for another opportunity to present itself, she thought there was no harm for her to take in a temporary job. Therefore, she had gone to Libertyville to visit the flower shop George had referred to her. The downtown area of Libertyville she had found to be quite charming, the size similar to the one in her current hometown, albeit a tad more upscale. The flower shop was located at the corner of the main street across a small park. When she had entered the shop and was received by a cordial greeting as she stood by the doorway, she wasn’t sure of what to expect and a bit wary, for there wasn't a help-wanted sign posted anywhere, outside or inside the store. Nevertheless, she decided to continue with her original plan. After a quick introduction in which she had stated her purpose and casually mentioned George’s name, and a few minutes of informal interview session that followed afterward, the owner, Mrs. Lindt, a lovely, soft spoken woman in her forties, had offered her a position as a helper. Pleasantly surprised with how easy the process had been, she had eagerly accepted and agreed to start working right away.

If it hadn’t been for George, finding a job within a day in a big place like Chicago would've been impossible, not to mention the disparaging remarks and rejection she would have to endure. Her experience in New York last year had taught her that in general most businesses, regardless of their sizes and nature, still nurtured grave reservation about employing female workers. Bless George’s heart for helping her! She would be sure to thank him later for the favor.

However, the new job brought forth a new dilemma. Libertyville wasn't exactly a walking distance away from her apartment. If she planned to arrive for work on time, she should consider to relocate to the nearby area.

Jeanette Warner, the woman she had met at the women’s club gathering last night, had mentioned a vacancy at the Barlow's Manor. And from what she understood, although the manor was located in the least populated area of Libertyville, it was not too far from downtown. So she had checked the place out on her way back home from her visit to the flower shop. And it turned out it was only a twenty-minute walk from the flower shop. Perfect.

The manor was actually a mansion converted into a board house by its affluent owner, a widow who had no sons nor daughters. What had cemented her decision to choose the manor as her new home was the fact that Mrs. Joyce Barlow was among a handful active proponents of women's progressive movement in the country, and the lady had opened her house providing support and guidance to women who strove to gain independence over every aspect of their lives, defying rigid conventions and protocols dictated by a male-dominated society, an issue Tina felt passionately about. Realizing she had just found someone who shared her belief, someone that could be a new mentor for her as well, she was ecstatic. She couldn't find a better place than the Barlow's Manor as her new home.

Despite her excitement, Tina was sad. Moving into the manor meant she wouldn't live close to Candy anymore and wouldn't be able to show up unannounced at the clinic during lunchtime as often.

Tina genuinely liked Candy. Candy was the first person she had made an acquaintance in Chicago, and talking to Candy had easily become something she enjoyed to do. Based on her past experience, she admitted she was terrible at judging characters, which had cost her a hefty price, being betrayed and deceived numerous times. But she found no evidence of malice in Candy's demeanor. In fact, she thought of Candy as a rather simple minded person, that she would often end up subjecting her to a round of teasing, and Candy’s reactions were always comical, especially when it pertained to sex. Tina laughed, recalling their interaction earlier in the restaurant. Candy could be such a prudish simpleton.

But Tina hadn't lied when she had told George she wished she could be like Candy. Although George had mentioned that Candy had gone through some hardships in the past, Tina couldn't tell. Everything about Candy suggested that she was quite content with her life, and contentment was something Tina had not felt in a long time. For her the only way she could truly be happy was to fulfill her dream of becoming a journalist. Because only then, those who had belittled her would finally accept that she could be a _somebody_ , that she was not another shadow under her prestigious family name. And first and foremost, her parents would know that she was most definitely not Cassandra’s shadow.

For that reason, she had made several night trips to the Palace Hotel, an establishment frequented by local politicians, journalists from Chicago major circulations, and other important figures as they would dawdle in the hotel's restaurant and lounges after working hours, chatting and mingling with other colleagues or smoking and drinking at the bar. It was there she had met Gregory Barnes who had showed his interest in her career ambition by agreeing to forward her list of credentials along with a written sample manuscript to the head of the editorial department at the Examiner.

Evidently, her first attempt hadn't been successful.

Tonight, she would try again. Examiner might not like her. But there were still ten others who might. Even Nellie Bly, from whom she had gained her aspiration, hadn't earned the title as the best reporter in America overnight.

“Tina, I’m so sorry for being late. There was a last minute matter I had to resolve at the office. Have you waited long?”

Tina lifted her head and turned to her side; her lips lifted into a smile at the dark haired man standing next to her, a regretful expression on his face. “Not at all.”

And it certainly didn’t hurt either that her number one supporter, Gregory Barnes, a man whose number of social connections rivaled that of her brother’s, was a fine looking gentleman.

This time, perhaps, she could even _kill two birds with one stone_.

_*********************_

Within the confines of the small bathroom of the apartment, Candy stood in front of the sink, staring absentmindedly at her reflection in the mirror, her fingers raking through damp strands of hair. She had arrived home late, drenched from head to toe, for being caught in a sudden downpour. When she had left for work in the morning, she had not expected it would rain today and had not carried an umbrella. Neither had she expected she would have dinner faraway from home.

Five minutes before the clinic's closing time, Tina had suddenly appeared and announced that they would have dinner in Libertyville. Candy had been a bit baffled, wondering why Tina wanted to have dinner in a town a distance away, fifteen minutes by train, but later once they were seated in their table and Tina had merely said she would pay for their meals with her first paycheck, she understood. Apparently, Tina had found a job in Libertyville working as an assistant florist. It wasn’t the kind of occupation she thought would fit Tina, but Tina seemed quite content with it, so there was no reason for her not to be happy for Tina. Yet she was upset to learn that Tina would move to Libertyville as well—she had become accustomed to seeing Tina almost every day, but very soon that wouldn’t be the case anymore.

Tina then, in an obvious attempt to dispel the gloom that threatened to ruin their dinner, had inquired her about _A Summer to Remember_ , to which she had hastily told Tina that she thought it was good.

Well, she would never admit to Tina that the story was _really_ good. Really good but scandalous—scandalously good. It was so unbelievably scandalous, yet once she had passed the initial shock of reading scenes with explicit intimate details, she couldn’t bear to put the book down, reading it twice in a row. Tina's story had certainly demolished her primitive, text-book derived perception about sex, and she understood now where the term lovemaking had originated from, because, _sweet mother Mary_ , there was so much love expressed during the act that there was no barrier to whatsoever in what one could do. She could never think about copulation as a mere biological procedure performed for producing offspring ever again.

Then there was the debonair and handsome Ian McHenry whom Candy would never gush about in front of Tina. If Tina ever found out that she had fallen hopelessly in love with a fictitious character, Tina would laugh at her and tease her without mercy. Hence, she had inconspicuously attempted to divert the subject by inquiring Tina more about her new job. Unfortunately, Tina, being a woman of indomitable spirit that she was, hadn’t let her have her way. And somehow amid their relatively benign chitchat over the evolution of Annabelle and Ian McHenry’s relationship from strangers to ardent lovers, their conversation had begun to deviate from the story, and it wasn't in the direction Candy wanted.

“I depicted Annabelle to be an ignorant prude. Can’t you tell? She has zero experience in romance and has not the slightest idea how to deal with a man, but she’s certainly willing to learn. And Ian harbors no qualm to teach her everything."

Candy could only nod her head in reply, feeling self conscious of how similar she was to Annabelle—an ignorant prude. She might have some brushes with romance in the past, but compared to Annabelle and Ian McHenry blazing love affairs, hers was almost like a staged child's play. She hadn't even had her first _real_ kiss.

“How about you?” Tina suddenly asked.

“Me?”

“Yes, you, Candy. Do you see anyone sitting beside you?” Tina rolled her eyes and then continued, “Are you an eager learner like Annabelle?”

Candy's face turned hot in an instant. “Don’t joke around! I'm not in a courtship.”

“There are things you can do without a partner, you know," Tina commented in a nonchalant tone, as though she was talking about her favorite dish from the menu, but Candy sensed Tina wasn’t talking about anything innocent. "Like for instance, have you… ummm... you know, ever explored yourself?”

“What do you mean explore myself? Are you talking about discovering my passion or hobby?”

“Umm… not quite…” Tina answered in between a stream of low chuckle. “I’m talking about surveying your body’s sensitive spots.”

When Candy responded only with her dumbfounded look, Tina stopped her laughing and leaned toward her, “You see Candy… To a man, a female body is like an exquisite piece of musical instrument. He’ll play, touch, push, prick, prod, blow and nip at the delicate parts until a beautiful melody is produced. But you won't know which part would trigger the sound or what kind of sound you're capable of generating if you don't play with the instrument yourself.” Tina had never looked as wicked as she was at that time, like a beautiful nymph about to cast a spell on unsuspecting victim. Her lips stretched into a wide cheshire grin, blue eyes flashing with pure mischief. “Why don’t you try to create an enchanting melody, Candy? No man would be able to resist the allure of a female euphoric cry.”

To say she had been astounded was an understatement. Her jaw had dropped to the floor, and it would’ve remained like that for the whole night, if it hadn’t been for the waitress interrupting them, pouring water into their half filled glasses, which Candy had nearly emptied almost right away.

Honestly. Why would Tina suggest something as twisted as that? Her body as a musical instrument? How utterly preposterous was that! Where had Tina got the insane idea from?

Pushing Tina's grating giggles out of her mind, Candy brought her gaze back to the mirror and stared at her face. Then she thrust her index finger into her cheek, the tapered end boring deep into the plump flesh until a yelp broke out of her throat. She rubbed at the red imprint on her cheek.

That was painful, and obviously, the cry of pain emitted from her mouth couldn't be the enchanting melody Tina had raved about. But Candy knew Tina hadn't meant _actual_ pricking and prodding either. Oh, she indeed knew very well what Tina had alluded to in spite of her ignorance. Still, exploring her own body, was not a concept she could readily accept. Sensual and intimate touch, as the name itself indicated, should be performed by a couple on each other—certainly not by an individual on herself. There was nothing intimate about touching yourself. She had wrapped her arms around herself in a self embrace, and that felt nothing like the warmth and comfort imparted from being swaddled in someone's arms.

Candy could have tossed the indecent thoughts out the window and laughed at it as if it were a pathetic crude joke—but she couldn't. Her curious mind begged her not to.

While the idea of consciously touching herself appalled her to no end, for she considered the act to be borderline perverted, she could probably conjure an image of herself as Annabelle. That shouldn’t be too hard, she supposed, as she had done that more times than she could count when she had been reading Tina's story.

Bringing her gaze lower, she placed a palm against the side of her neck. Slowly, she let her hand slide down to the junction of her shoulder and closed her eyes.

And then perhaps she could pretend the hand gliding against her skin belonged to no other than the handsome Scotsman, Ian McHenry, as he blew words of sweet praises to her ears.

_"You truly are a beauty, my dear Annabelle." Ian moved the back of his hand against my skin slowly, as if taking his time to savor the smoothness, from the side of my neck down to my throat where his finger traced a line along the bony trail. Then his hand continued its travel downward to my chest, slipping inside the thin fabric and ever so gently parting it open leaving me bare to his touch._

_His blue eyes darkened with desire as he ran his knuckles over the narrow path between my exposed breasts, down over the flat plane of my torso, to my navel. Then he suddenly stopped and looked at me, as if taunting me.  
_

_My breath hitched in my throat, my bosom ripe with want. In all my life, I never wanted something so badly._

"Candy - is everything all right? You've been inside for nearly an hour."

Eyes flying wide open, Candy gaped at the mirror, an image of her standing completely in the nude staring back at her, one hand resting slightly above the mound on her bare chest, the other on her stomach.

“Candy?”

Her gaze darted to the door, and she slapped a hand against her mouth to stifle a gasp. What was she doing? Had she been touching herself? The very thing she had claimed as repugnant.

“I’m fine... I'm just err... brushing my hair.” She bent down and fumbled to shrug into her clothes, grunting in between. “These mighty obstinate tangles..."

"Sounds like you're wrestling with your own hair." Albert laughed. "You know what? Let me help you brush your hair. Perhaps it would be easier and less painful for you.”

“Umm… Sure give me few minutes to tidy up,” Candy replied distractedly, buttoning her pajama top as fast as she could.

After a quick glance at the mirror to ensure she was properly dressed, she grabbed her hairbrush from the counter and swung the door open to reveal Albert standing outside with his blue eyes fastened on her. There was a quirk of half interest and half amusement tucked in his lips. It was clear that he was waiting for her to say something, but, dipping her head down to avoid his gaze, she only handed the brush to him, strode to the chair, and sat down. She was still a bit flustered and ashamed by what had just transpired in the bathroom, where she had let her imagination go astray and corrupt her mind, and therefore was not in any capacity to strike a decent conversation.

Thankfully, Albert didn't coax her further into talking. Without saying anything, he slipped to stand behind her and began brushing her hair, his movement measured and careful, one hand dragging the brush all the way down and the other gently combing through the wet strands to disentangle the unruly knots.

One thing Candy had gathered about Albert from having to live with the man for more than a year was that he was always very meticulous with every task entrusted to him, however insignificant the task might be, and the way he was brushing her hair now clearly demonstrated that. She wondered where had he gained such a refined attribute, considering he had been nothing but a free spirited wanderer.

"You have such healthy, lush curls. They're beautiful..." Albert’s whispering voice laced with undisguised awe dispersed the silence between them.

Candy dropped her gaze, looking at her hands; the edge of her lips slid up in a half smile. “Thanks."

A quiet hum was Albert’s only answer as he continued to brush her hair.

The constant, steady movement of Albert’s hands on her hair gradually eased Candy into a relaxed state, and she found herself musing about the man who was brushing her hair.

Gentle, tender, and kind. Those three words described Albert perfectly. And just like Ian McHenry, Albert was also a brave man. If Ian Mc Henry had fought a group of five goons who tried to plunder Annabelle and her friends, Albert using his bare hands had tamed a runaway lion. Of course, Albert was not the dashing Scotsman, Ian McHenry, but there was no doubt in Candy’s mind that Albert would make a fine hero in a story as well—and perhaps even a wonderful lover too.

It wasn’t difficult at all to picture Albert as a lover—he would be passionate yet gentle. His gaze mesmerizing, his words tender, his touch gentle, his kisses would take her to the moon.

Suddenly Candy felt the ticklish jolt from the tips of Albert’s fingers grazing against the exposed skin on her nape, and she jerked her shoulder up, bending her neck away from his hand at an awkward angle.

“What’s wrong?” Albert asked, bringing his hands movement to a halt.

“Nothing…” Candy answered absently, her voice barely above a murmur. She hadn't just imagined Albert as a lover, had she?

“But you just snapped your neck to the side all of a sudden. Are you okay?”

"Huh?" Candy blurted out incoherently.

"Is there something wrong with your neck?" Albert repeated.

"My neck?" Only then Candy became aware of the strain on her neck from the pressure of having her head slanted into her shoulder. With a swift tilt, she moved her neck back to its upright position. “Oh… I’m fine… It’s just that… Ummm my muscle is a bit stiff.” Candy chuckled, attempting to mask her embarrassment.

To her confusion, Albert didn’t resume brushing her hair. Instead, Candy saw him lay the hairbrush down on the table with a quiet clatter.

She was about to ask what was the problem but turned as rigid as a solid timber when she felt Albert’s head hovering right beside hers, his hands gently curving on top of her shoulders and moving in a delicate squeeze around the firm flesh. “Relax…” he whispered next to her ear as his fingers dug into her muscle, his warm breath tickling her skin, prickling goose bumps on her arms. “I’m just giving you a massage. It should ease the tension on your neck and shoulders. Does it feel better?”

She felt that tingle. She felt the tingle Annabelle described when Ian touched her for the first time, a tingle that propagated all the way to the ends of her fingertips and stirred in myriad fluttering tiny butterflies in her stomach.

“Mmm yeah… ” she mumbled, trying hard to concentrate at his words and not at the sensations elicited by his nimble hands moving along her shoulders. His hands felt so good kneading and rubbing against her, that she involuntarily leaned more into his touch, giving him free rein over her back.

Then from her own pressed lips flew a strangled, breathy sound that wasn’t quite like anything she had ever heard before, and the more she paid attention to herself, the more she was perturbed by how responsive her body was to Albert's touch as evidenced by the strange noises rumbling in her throat along with the gradual heightening of an indescribable sensation that quickened her pulse, making her feel incredibly nervous and excited at the same time. But as soon as Tina's words about making a beautiful melody flickered in her mind, she was propelled to an awareness of how totally and utterly wrong the current situation was.

She wasn't a piece of musical instrument, and Albert was definitely not playing her.

Squirming out of Albert’s grasps, Candy bounced off the chair and sprang onto her feet. “Uhhhh… that’s enough. Thank you, Albert.”

Albert's face was a mixture of puzzlement and surprise. “Did I do something wrong? Have I hurt you?" His bewildered blue eyes searching her, imploring her.

"No, you've done nothing wrong,” Candy murmured and forced herself to smile but faltered. “I just… I need to use the toilet very badly,” she half yelled and dashed straight into the bathroom, slamming the door close with a resounding bang that caused the walls in the small apartment to vibrate.

  **To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apology for the delay in delivering the chapter.  
> A hectic week compounded with cold bugs had dampened my motivation.  
> Moreover, it was an all around difficult chapter to write-sigh-what have I got myself into this time?  
> Honestly, I'm not very satisfied with how the chapter turns out (very likely I will continue to revise and polish it)
> 
> But I don't want to make you wait for another week. So I hope it's still somewhat worth reading.  
> I'm sorry for this subpar chapter. I'll try to do better next time.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


	7. Chapter 7

The setting sun had bled orange into the sky as Candy sat by the window, eyes trained at the ground below her. Albert was still nowhere in sight, but she had to leave in five minutes if she didn’t want to miss the 6:30 pm train. The next one wouldn’t be until after 7 pm which would be way too late.

She skittered across the room, grabbing her coat from the rack, tearing off a small piece of paper from the calendar hanging on the wall, and snatching her pair of boots from the floor before sliding back into the chair.

As she slipped on her boots, the door suddenly flung open and in walked her roommate. The second his gaze met hers, his expression shifting from impassive to curious, and he strode to her at once, pulling the scarf loose from around his neck. “Are you going somewhere? How about dinner? Aren’t you going to eat dinner first?”

“I’m not eating dinner at home tonight,” Candy explained, tugging at the strings on her boot. “I’m going to the Barlow Manor.”

“Barlow Manor?” Albert’s voice rose in incredulity. “You know someone who lives there?”

Candy lifted her head to face Albert and smiled, her fingers reaching for the set of strings on her other boot. “Ummm yes… Tina. She just moved into the manor yesterday.”

Albert was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “I hope you’ve not forgotten about the dinner two days from now with Archie,” he said.

“Don’t worry. I have not,” Candy replied with a slight tilt of assurance at the edge of her lips. “I wouldn’t miss it. After all, it’s his farewell party before he leaves for Boston next week.” Her attention returned to her boots as she ensured she had secured the strings properly.

The news about Archie moving to Boston had come a day after Tina had told her that she was moving to Libertyville. Patty and Annie had paid her a surprise visit at Dr. Martin's clinic. When Candy had first learned about it, hearing it directly from a dejected looking Annie, she had felt sad. Lately, she hadn’t spent as much time with Archie, Annie, and Patty as she had in the past—but it couldn’t be helped. Life got in the way. They had their own set of affairs and priorities they simply had to attend to. With Archie’s mother extending her stay in Chicago, Archie had devoted most of his time to keep his mother company. Annie had gone back to her parents’ home not long after the funeral and had stayed there through the holiday season while Patty had visited her aunt in Florida, which had done well to alleviate her grief, as Patty had been struck especially hard by Stear's tragic and unexpected demise.

Both Patty and Annie had returned to Chicago about a month ago, but Candy had been reluctant to visit them at the Andrews Mansion, knowing Neil Leagan lived there. After the horrific kidnapping incident masterminded by him that had left her shaking with fear, she preferred to keep her distance, avoiding any chance to cross paths with him. There was no telling what atrocity the man might commit next.

Now, however, she regretted she hadn't visited her friends earlier. With Archie’s imminent departure for Boston next week, closely followed by Annie’s return to her parents’ home and Patty’s possible relocation to her aunt’s house in Florida by end of the month, they would be separated by long distance and spread out all over the map. Most likely, they could only meet a few times in a year, or probably even less.

“It’s getting dark. I can accompany you to the train station if you want,” Albert offered, propelling Candy from her string of thoughts.

Candy bit her lips, releasing her hold on the strings. This was yet another one of Albert's kind gestures that seemed to never stop coming. “Thanks, but that wouldn’t be necessary,” she rebuffed with a nervous smile. “I’ll be fine.”

While it was extremely tempting to accept his offer, she couldn’t. Not because she didn’t want to. She wanted to, but not when the prospect of being alone with him made her unbearably nervous, which was hilarious considering she had lived with him for more than a year. But that was how it was now. She just couldn't approach him as freely as she had. Not anymore. Not when improper thoughts about him, thoughts she absolutely should never harbor for a friend, persistently infiltrated her mind. Not when every time she accidentally brushed against him, she was reminded of how his mere touch as he had massaged her had incited delightful sensations in her body (that made her think of all sorts of things that were far from being decent), which led her feeling like a dirty, lewd woman.

Tina and her wicked story were to blame—Candy was sure of that. Since she had read it, about two weeks ago, she had found herself swirling between fantasy and reality. Ideas about matters she had never truly cared for before, matters she normally claimed as indecent and frivolous had flitted through her mind, shifting her perceptions and smothering her conscience, and somehow Albert, being the closest man she interacted with, had become entangled amid all those.

Albert sighed. “If you said so…”

Candy stood up and put on a rueful face. “I promise I won’t jump into a stranger’s car.” She attempted to appease him, mocking at her own foolish blunder that had led to her falling right into Neil Leagan’s deplorable scheme.

“I hope not.” Albert laughed, but to her ears there was no hint of humor in his laughter—it sounded forced and stiff. He was obviously upset, yet Candy wasn’t sure whether it was because of her bad joke, using a serious incident in a flippant manner, or it was because she had declined his offer to walk her to the station.

“Well, I have to go now.” Candy grabbed the coat from the table, walked to the door, and opened it with a swift pull. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Candy…” Albert murmured, his tone pensive.

The last thing Candy saw as the door swung to a close was Albert frowning, his blue eyes clouded with a mixture of worry and something akin to hurt.

There was a part of her that wanted to run back inside, telling Albert she changed her mind, and that she would love to have him accompany her to the station. The other part, however, was not so sure.

Aside from her newly acquired reservation toward him, she was worried to be confronted by him. Albert was not judgmental by any standard, but from the dubious look on his face when she had mentioned she was going to the Barlow Manor Candy could tell he must have heard about the infamous manor. And it would’ve been normal for him to wonder why she would want to visit the place, and he might even attempt to discourage her. Hence, it was best for him not to escort her to the station.

For reason that was vague at best, Barlow Manor had garnered a rather reprehensible reputation. There were sinister hisses flying across the town condemning the manor as the house that gave birth to witches and spawns of satan. But she would not let that deter her from visiting Tina. Tina was her friend. No matter how annoying Tina could be when she teased her, Candy was sure Tina was not a witch.

Yet it would be a lie if Candy said she wasn’t anxious at all when she had alighted the train at the Libertyville station. She was, so much so, that the deprecating remarks and snide slurs in her head had nearly convinced her to turn around and jump into the next train that would take her back home.

To her relief, as Candy later discovered, the manor was nothing like the heinous devil’s lair the rumors made it out to be. It was not sordid at all. In fact, she found the place to be quite inviting, an elegant Victorian mansion located within the perimeter of one of the small lakes in the area. The lady of the manor, Mrs. Joyce Barlow, who had greeted her at the door, was a kind widow in her early fifties. Mrs. Barlow’s husband had passed away ten years ago, and Mrs. Barlow had never remarried. She also had no children. But instead of returning to her hometown in England, Mrs. Barlow decided to remain in Chicago and turned the beautiful mansion into a lodging establishment.

The Barlow Manor only accepted female tenants, which made it quite unique. Everyone had their own private bedroom located in the sleeping quarters in the second floor of the mansion. There were communal eating and living areas, including a library that housed a huge collection of books and a spacious parlor that multi-functioned as a music room and a game room, imparting a dormitory-like atmosphere. Contrary to what the townspeople believed, there were no prostitutes nor witches nor demons resided in the manor. The women who lived there, a total of ten of them including Tina, had gone through extensive schooling and training, some abroad in England some here in America, and some even still pursuing a post-secondary degree. Candy was introduced to all of them during dinner, and with each passing minute, her initial discomfort, triggered by feeling of inferiority being surrounded by highly intelligent women of fine upbringing, dissolved, that by the time the final dinner course was served, she was completely at ease, chatting along merrily with everyone around the table.

Following dinner, Candy, Tina, and five of her housemates gathered by the fireplace in the parlor, enjoying tea accompanied by a tray of delicious after-dinner snacks provided by Mrs. Barlow, while Mrs. Barlow herself and the other three women had other obligations they had to attend to and couldn’t join.

“How old are you, Candy, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Jeanette, the brunette woman who sat next to Candy. From the conversation during dinner, Candy could tell Jeannette was the one in charge when Mrs. Barlow was not around. The other women seemed to respect her opinion greatly.

“I don’t mind at all. I’ll be eighteen this May.”

Sitting beside Jeannette, Mavis paused chewing her biscuit; her hazel eyes widened. “Really? Eighteen you say?”

Candy nodded bashfully, noting the raised eyebrows and opened mouth displayed on the faces around her.

“My, you look nothing like an eighteen-year old!” Jeanette remarked in disbelief.

Tina sneered, “See Candy? I told you. I thought you were only thirteen when I first saw you.”

“Oh come on, Tina, I didn’t look that young even though I’m short.” Candy lowered her head, clasping her hands on her lap.

“Your innocent look has nothing to do with height, sweetie,” Lillian commented heartily. Candy brought her gaze up to the woman sitting across from her. With dark wavy hair that hung past her shoulders and piercing metallic blue eyes, Lillian was simply stunning, and she reminded Candy of a beautiful, mysterious gypsy woman she had once seen in a painting. “I’m not tall either, but people have never mistaken me for a thirteen year old.”

“You should try to wear your hair down. That might help,” suggested Sharon. From all the other women in the manor, Sharon appeared to be the youngest, probably about her age, Candy presumed.

“You think so?” Candy tilted her head to one side, gripping a lock of hair from her pony tail between her fingers. “I’ve worn my hair like this for as long as I could remember.”

“You’re not as young as I originally thought…” Jeannette cut in. “Have you considered about the future? Marriage?”

“Marriage?” Candy chuckled awkwardly and shook her head. “No, no, not yet, I’ve not thought about that at all.”

“She’s a nurse, Jeanette. She’s probably too busy working to have time to search for a suitor,” supplied Tina lightly.

Jeanette’s face brightened with wonderment. “Is that true? You’re a nurse? That’s wonderful, Candy. Do you know that out of the total workforce in America, women only makes 10% of it? You should be proud. You’re part of that 10%.”

“I didn’t know that,” Candy breathed as the other women gave her approving smiles.

“Have you done any schooling?” asked the blond haired, blue eyed Ingrid, the quietest among the women from the manor.

“I have. I was sent to St. Paul in London by my guardian, but I left before I completed my study. I returned—”

“Wait a minute. St Paul in London?” Tina interposed, looking at Candy with astonishment. “You went to St. Paul? I went to St. Paul too.”

“No way!” Candy swiveled in her seat to face Tina. “We could’ve met already and didn’t know it, Tina.”

“Possible," Tina replied with a slight indifference huff and stood up. "Mavis—you promised us you would play Elsie Baker's _I Love You Truly_. I really adore that song, you know, such a romantic tune."

"Oh I love that song too," Lillian and Sharon echoed in unison followed by a series of "please Mavis" as they stood next to Tina, facing Mavis, and the three of them began to sing the lyric, swaying their bodies from side-to-side slightly.
    
    
     _I love you truly, truly dear,_  
    
    _Life with its sorrow, life with its tear_
    

Seeing the antics of her three friends, Mavis eventually rose to her feet and laughingly exclaimed, "Oh, all right."

The parlor erupted into loud cheering, and soon, the crisp sound from Mavis energetic piano playing and loud singing voices reigned in the room while Candy could only watch the gaiety before her in silence. She was both embarrassed and disheartened to be the only one who was not familiar with a song that seemed to be quite popular around the country. She knew how they must have thought of her as an insipid and dull person. But that was the reality—she had chosen her own path and had dedicated nearly all her time and energy to studying and working, instead of mingling with other women of her age, chatting and raving about fashion, music, and actors.

Candy's gaze wandered to Tina, who seemed to be busy singing along with the other women, and her thought meandered back to their conversation earlier. 

Apparently, Tina had attended St. Paul as well.

Candy was surprised at the coincidence but not shocked. Some time ago, Tina had told her that she had spent nearly a decade in London, and in return she had told Tina that she had been there too for a short period of time. But for some reason, they had neglected to talk about anything related to school. That could very well because Candy had deliberately steered them away from the subject. She didn’t really want to mention anything about Terry to Tina—as she knew for sure if she had to talk about her days in St. Paul, she would. Although it didn’t feel as painfully agonizing as it was last year, talking about Terry was not something she was eager to do. She hadn’t said a word about Terry to either Albert, Annie, Archie or Patty, and she intended to keep it that way.

But from the way Tina had curtly brushed aside her comment and smoothly switched the attention to Mavis, Candy couldn't help but conclude she wasn't the only one who was reluctant to talk about St. Paul, and she could only wonder why.

A half hour later, as Candy and Tina rode the carriage to the train station, Candy pondered how much she actually knew about Tina. From early on, she inferred Tina belonged to a wealthy family. The hints were there, from the callous attitude toward money to the finely made clothes Tina had worn, and Tina didn't seem to care to hide them. Candy often wondered about the kind of family Tina came from, but the only thing Tina had divulged was that she was the second child of three siblings. Other than that, Tina had mostly kept mum about her family, except for sporadic mentions of her brother, whom Tina seemed to hold in high regard.

“Say Candy…" Tina began, urging Candy to cease her musing. "Nobody wants to be an old spinster. I’m sure that’s not what you aspire to be, right?”

Candy knitted her brows at Tina, unsure where Tina wanted to go with her statement. It wasn’t as though Tina was engaged to anyone—at least not to the best of her knowledge. “Well, no.”

Instead of resuming the conversation, Tina turned still, fixing her gaze on Candy, as though she was trying to read her mind, only the steady tapping of horse shoes hitting the hard ground could be heard.

Candy fidgeted in her seat, "Wh-what?"

"It's a bit strange, you know. Never once have you displayed any regard to a man. That makes me wonder... "

"What's so strange about that?" Candy countered without being able to suppress her irritation. "I have not found anyone who has taken my fancy. How about you? I don't see you with a suitor, either. And—"

A stream of chuckles compelled Candy to stop talking at once.

"You're wrong, Candy. I do have a potential suitor. It's you I'm worried about." Tina snapped her mouth close at once, a frown marring her brows. "Don't tell me that you're actually in love with your brother."

Candy was sure her heart had just somersaulted inside her chest. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" she dismissed with a sneer, moving her gaze to the front as she attempted to calm her racing heartbeat.

"It's okay if you do, Candy. I perfectly understand." Tina grabbed Candy's hand and squeezed it lightly, much to Candy's dismay as it only augmented her anxiety. "There was one time when I thought my brother was—"

"Of course not. I'm not in love with my brother," Candy contended, pulling her hand free from Tina's grasp.

“Then you should stop hanging around him and Dr. Martin too much.” Tina sank into a contemplative silence for a moment before enthusing, “You know what? I’m going to the city. Would you like to come along? Perhaps you could expand your horizon and extend your network of acquaintances.”

Candy cast Tina a skeptical look. She remembered seeing the short and long hands on the face of the grandfather clock in the foyer approaching nine o’clock when they had stridden their ways toward the manor’s main door. “At this hour? Isn’t it too late?” 

“No, I usually leave around this time.”

Candy’s jaw dropped. Her mind scrambled to find an answer as to what one could possibly do at this late evening hours in the city known as being a haven for criminals from the underworld. Apparently, she _really_ didn’t know anything about her so-called friend.

Right at that moment, the carriage lurched to a stop, and the door was swung open shortly by the coach driver.

“I’m sorry, Tina,” Candy uttered as she and Tina exited the passenger compartment. “But I don’t think I can. I need to go home now. Otherwise—”

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you, Candy?” Tina scoffed, swiftly pivoting on her heel to face Candy; her lips curled in a smirk. “You’re worrying about your brother. Am I right?”

Candy wanted to lie and say no, but she couldn’t. She knew Albert must have been worried sick about her, as she never loitered outside by herself this late in the day. “Umm… yeah.”

Thankfully, Tina didn't attempt to persuade her further.

The ride back was a quiet and fast one. The train was mostly empty except for one or two passengers in each car, but Candy couldn't enjoy the rare peaceful moment, unlike her fellow riders. The closer she was to her home the more anxious she was.

With worry and guilt constantly prodding her mind, Candy finished the last leg of her journey by foot, jogging along the nearly deserted street all the way to the Magnolia Apartment. Her speed never dropped as she entered the building and climbed up the stairs. Only once the door to her apartment unit appeared in her line of sight, she slowed down before coming to a complete stop. Standing still, she attempted to regulate her breathing, her raucous panting echoing across the narrow corridor. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and she could see light streaming through the narrow crevice underneath the door.

Her mouth clamped shut, and she swallowed.

Albert was waiting for her.

Taking the last two steps to the door, Candy grabbed the metal knob that felt cold to the touch even through her wool glove and inhaled deeply as she braced herself for what would be one of the most awkward and nerve wracking conversations between Albert and her. Then she pushed the door open slowly. “Albert…” she whispered, the loud thumping of her heart against her ears muffling her own voice. But the second her gaze flitted up to the stationary form in front of her, her shoulders drooped free from the tight knots of anxiety that had seized them, and a sigh of relief flew out of her mouth.

Albert sat on the chair with arms folded over his chest, his head bowed, eyes tightly shut. He must have fallen asleep waiting for her.

Carefully padding across the wooden floor while shrugging out of her coat, Candy approached him. As she draped the coat over his back, she could almost hear Tina’s ironic chuckle from their last exchange before they had bid each other goodnight.

“Oh well, I won’t force you—but think about the implication of your dilly-dallying, and you should give it a serious thought," Tina had said as they had stood at the main platform. "It is not only you who are affected, Candy. Your brother, even though I have yet to meet him in person, definitely doesn’t look like a teenager—but he’s obviously not married."

“What are you saying, Tina?”

Tina heaved a sigh. "Have you taken notice at all? Most men of his age are either married or in courtships. You know what I think? You’re the reason why he remains single. He feels responsible for you and can’t abandon you, so he puts all his other needs behind you.”

"Is that what you think?" Candy couldn't stop herself from rising her voice. Tina's words had really hurt her.

“Well, Candy darling, if you care about your brother _that_ much, you should find yourself a suitor and marry soon. You did say you didn’t want to be an old spinster—so you might as well start hunting for a suitor now. Or if you’re still not ready to marry, you can move out and live in the Barlow Manor with us,” Tina had suggested. “By moving out, you send a strong message to your brother that you’re capable of fending for yourself, and he shouldn’t need to worry anymore.”

Candy could have easily disregarded Tina's opinion as mere gibberish, for it was based on the erroneous facts that Albert and her were siblings. But there were some elements of truth in it that she just couldn't ignore.

Albert was much older than her—she was sure of that—even though he had never informed her of his age. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to her if he had been with a woman before, as it would only be natural for an adult male like him to seek a female companion.

But marry? Did Albert wish to marry?

For her, marriage was so far out of reach. Besides, even if she wanted to marry, she had no suitor nor any man who had expressed his wish to court her—Neil Leagan didn’t count.

There was one time she had dreamed of being happily married to someone, but it had been just that. A dream.

Now she had no one. Not even in her dream.

Well, there was Ian McHenry. But he was not real, nothing but a figment of her imagination—Tina’s imagination—and Ian McHenry belonged to Annabelle not her.

What a pity!

Although… There was another man Candy regarded as good as Ian Mc Henry, and he was not an illusion. He was a real man of flesh and blood.

Her gaze drifted to Albert’s sleeping face, and a smile gradually materialized on her lips.

Candy knew without a doubt that Albert would make a fine husband. Oh, he definitely would, and the woman who could manage to capture his heart, whoever that was, would be one very lucky woman. She was sure if it hadn’t been for his less than respectable status as a mere vagabond, he would’ve been the most sought after bachelor in the whole town. Tina, who had only caught a glimpse of him had blatantly expressed that he was indeed a desirable man, then other women must have noticed his attractive attributes as well. But since living with him, she had never seen him with a woman, and neither had he ever shown interest in pursuing one. Or had she been too engrossed in her own affairs that she had overlooked a lot of details pertaining to him just like Tina had said? He had sacrificed his own needs so that he could care for her?

Snippets of random scenes flickered rapidly in her mind of Albert saving her from the lion, Albert searching for her in the dark, Albert climbing a tree with her, Albert tending to her when she had been sick, Albert cooking and cleaning for her...

Tina was right. She had been selfish. Albert had done everything for her. She had not considered his feelings at all, had not considered his wishes and wants, had not ever thought that by living with him she might have hindered him from reaping his own happiness. She was nothing but a burden to him.

“I’m sorry, Albert… “ Candy bent down and pressed her lips onto Albert's cheek lightly, but as she drew away from him, she froze. The realization sank in on her, that perhaps she didn’t _really_ want to distance herself from him, didn't really want him to ever leave her, for whether she cared to admit it or not, there was a small part of her that wished she could be that lucky woman who could win his heart.

Fingers touching her lips absently, Candy stepped back and walked to the bedroom. Trapped in her own stupor, she completely failed to notice the slight movement on the chair nor the eyelids that once had been drawn close slid up, revealing a pair of blue orbs following her with wistful longing.

  **To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew that's a long one, and it seems there is a trend that the length increases at each chapter. LOL  
> I hope it turns out okay though. I'm still a bit delirious from the fever and coughing, so it's possible I might have missed something or pressed the wrong key on the keyboard. Writing this chapter wasn't as difficult as the previous one, but it still took me a while to get the flow right somewhat. So yeah, I'm only semi satisfied with it (and perusual will continue to polish it), but it seems adequate to serve as an overture to the next one.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-
> 
> NOTE:
> 
> * "I Love You Truly" was a song written by Carrie Jacobs-Bond in late 19th century. She was the first female American songwriter whose song sold 1 million copies. The song was so popular that a number of artists had performed it. But it was Elsie Baker who managed to bring the song to hit # 1 in the US in 1912.
> 
> ** Libertyville is a small town 30 miles north of Chicago. I visited the historic downtown and was charmed by it. (There was a restaurant, that when I stepped inside it, I felt like I was back in early 20th century, and I said to myself this would be a perfect place for Albert to take Candy on a date.) Thus I couldn't pass the opportunity of using it in my story. :D


	8. Chapter 8

Intermittent jovial chatter and laughter sparked the otherwise quiet private dining room inside a quaint Italian restaurant into life.

Archie had rented the modest establishment in favor of an upscale one located close to the mansion for his going away party. The reason was the Leagans siblings, in particular a certain cunning Eliza Leagan. Much to Archie's discontent, Eliza somehow had discovered Archie had been planning some kind of celebration with his friends and she had insisted to be included in the guest list. Archie had no desire whatsoever to invite Eliza, so he had devised a way to discourage her, reserving a restaurant he knew for sure didn't fulfill Eliza's high standards.

"Oh Archie… I must have forgotten. I won't be able to attend your party after all. I have to accompany mother to a dinner engagement. You know how mother is, don't you? She would scold me all week long if I suddenly informed her I couldn't accompany her," Archie uttered in an abnormally high-pitch, nasal voice, pressing a hand against his mouth in a dramatic gesture as he mimicked Eliza's reaction with obvious exaggeration when she had heard the event would be held in an obscure place, twenty miles north of the mansion.

No sooner had Archie finished his performance than the table trembled with a roar of laughter.

That was how the atmosphere was throughout dinner—fun and carefree— imbued with warm camaraderie, a striking contrast to the deep sorrow and anguish that had enveloped them the last time they had met as a group—at Stear's funeral.

A short while later, after all the food had been consumed, leaving stacks of empty plates for the server to collect, Albert and Archie headed directly for the billiard table on the opposite side of the room while the women contented themselves staying in their seats in the dining area. It had been a while since all three of them had met. So they surely had a lot to share. Annie, seemingly to be in good spirits, jumped in by informing Candy and Patty about her parents plan for the summer holiday that included a trip to the Brightons' new estate in Maine from which she could afford a chance to visit Archie in Boston. Patty divulged she had resolved about moving to Florida and enthused her interest in acquiring a secondary education at Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee—she considered a teaching career.

While Patty and Annie carried on with their talks, Candy, however, had scarcely paid attention to what her friends were saying. Her gaze had strayed to Albert every time his carefree laughter rang from across the room as he and Archie engaged in a friendly billiard competition.

Candy hadn't heard Albert's laugh for some time. The last two days, other than amid the hustle of morning routine before work, she had seldom seen him and figured there must be something urgent he had to finish at his workplace, causing him to return home late at night, once she had been fast asleep. Earlier, when he had not been present at the time dinner had commenced, she had thought he wouldn't attend the party tonight. So she was pleasantly surprised to see him barge in not long after the second course had been served, apologizing profusely for his tardiness.

The truth was she had missed him. She had missed having his company despite her resolution to temporary avoid him. She had missed him to a point that his presence weighed more than the uneasiness she had felt to be around him.

"Candy? Are you even listening?"

Patty's voice, laced with unconcealed annoyance, prompted Candy to whip her head to her left upon which she was met with a frowning Patty. Candy suddenly felt guilty, for having been distracted with her own thoughts, but before she could apologize, Annie interjected, "What were you thinking, Candy? It's Terry, is it?"

Candy shrugged off the worry on Annie's gaze with a smile. "No, it's not Terry…" And it hadn't been for a long time, Candy added inwardly. "I was just thinking about…" Candy hesitated, unsure if it would be wise to tell her friends the truth. "Work—" she blurted, and then, mustering calm, she hurriedly asked, "so Patty, when are you going to move to Florida?" Even though Candy loathed lying, she just couldn't tell Patty and Annie that Albert had occupied most of her thoughts—they might have the wrong assumption.

Patty gave Candy a skeptical look but didn't question her further. "I'm not sure yet, but my aunt has told me that I should move in by the next few weeks or so. If not, I would have to wait until the end of summer when she returns from South America."

Expiring a loud huff, Candy glanced at Patty and Annie alternately. "I can't believe it. You and Annie are abandoning me. I'm going to be left all by my self. Oh right, there's Neil who is still prowling around and his evil-sidekick sister, Eliza."

"What do you mean by yourself?" Annie remarked, a touch of irony tinting her voice. "There's your new friend Tina, whom you haven't even introduced to us. And you certainly must have not forgotten about Albert." Candy's heart skipped at the mention of Albert's name. "How long has it been since you two have lived together? More than a year?"

Candy lowered her gaze toward the table, eyes leisurely tracing the elaborate embroidery adorning the tablecloth. "Yes, it has been more than a year since I have invited Albert to live with me."

"One year is a long time…" Patty commented and then continued, "Do you think that maybe, you know, with you turning eighteen soon, you two should start living separately?" Candy flinched, glaring at the white tablecloth. She could hardly believe it, that only a few days ago Tina had alluded to the same thing—about her current living arrangement with Albert. While she could ignore Tina, for Tina was completely in the dark with respect to Albert and his circumstances, she couldn't do the same with Patty and Annie. Both of them knew well who Albert was, and their words carried greater merits than Tina's.

Annie nodded and chimed in, "That's a good point, Patty. I've been wondering about that as well. You don't plan to live with Albert for another year, right Candy? It's a bit… improper for—"

"I don't know," Candy answered candidly, straining a smile. "I mean if he hasn't regained his memory. I don't think I should—"

"What if Albert never recovers, Candy?" Patty's question barreled over Candy's words, essentially forcing Candy to snap her attention to Patty. "That's a real possibility you should take into account. If that's the case, are you going to continue living with him? For how long? Forever?"

"Forever?!" Annie echoed, disbelief inflecting her tone.

"Ummm… I've never thought about that…" Candy's brows knitted into a frown, lips pursed in contemplation.

Candy recalled from her research that amnesia was considered a temporary medical condition. It typically didn't last long with the longest duration recorded in the medical journal spanning over several months. But in Albert's case, more than a year had elapsed, and he was still not cured. What if Patty was right, and Albert never recovered?

"What are you going to do, Candy?" Annie prodded.

Candy turned to Annie and stared blankly. In the beginning, she always assumed it wouldn't take more than a few months for Albert to recover—but that wasn't true anymore. Had she noticed it? Or she just didn't care anymore whether Albert would ever recover or not, since having him around had been deeply ingrained within her, that subconsciously she wished for him to never recover so that he could remain by her side.

No, that couldn't be right.

Releasing a few stilted chuckles, Candy shook her head in vehement denial. "No, that would never happen. Amnesia is not a permanent condition. Albert must recover at some point. I firmly believe that," she declared, but it felt as though it was a desperate attempt to convince herself more than others. "Maybe it would happen soon. Who knows? Maybe he would fall and strike his head or something. And then BAM! Suddenly he remembers everything." Her head swung from side-to-side as she gauged her friends' reactions.

While Annie appeared neutral, Patty didn't seem convinced in the least and maintained a serious veneer. "I still think that either you or Albert should move out," Patty asserted. "There's no guarantee he'll regain his memory in the foreseeable future. I know it wouldn't be easy. After all, you've lived with him for more than a year. But Albert looks perfectly healthy now, so there's no reason for you to keep taking care of him. "

"Mmm… That makes perfect sense, Patty," Annie expressed earnestly with a slight nod. "I think that'll be for the best. Besides, I'm sure you don't want Aunt Elroy and Uncle William to find out about you and Albert, Candy. "

Candy shook her head, her lips tugged up in a wry smile. "No…"

"Then you should talk to Albert about rectifying the situation as soon as possible. I think he would understand," Patty suggested, her gaze drifting toward the game room across from them, where Albert and Archie were.

Candy found herself doing the same thing, and she immediately noted the change in the aura emanated by the two men. No more laughter and chatter, and it wasn't difficult to tell who was winning from Archie's frequent loud disappointed grunts. They must be in their last few rounds. Archie, who appeared to have taken off his waistcoat, was leaning over the table in a ready-to-shoot mode while adjacent to him Albert watched with keen interest.

"Say Candy… You don't suppose Albert is in love with you, do you?" Candy jerked her head back to Patty at once, eyes wide, mouth hanging open at Patty's baseless inference that came out of nowhere. "Or how about yourself? Are you in love with him?" Patty switched her focus back to Candy, pinning her with an inquiring gaze.

"WHAT!?" Candy exclaimed in incredulity, emitting a nervous half snort, gaze straying every which way, anywhere as to avoid Patty and Annie. "That's absurd. I'm not. No, no, no." Her voice jumped an octave, arms moving about in a frantic rebuff. "How could you even say that? I'm not in love with Albert, absolutely not. And I don't think he's in love with me either. That's just ridiculous."

"Is that so?" Patty, however, seemed to have not listened to her, eyes wandering back to where the men were. This time Candy refrained from mirroring her action. "Although… Albert is not a bad looking man at all, you know," Patty whispered contemplatively. "He's extremely attentive to you. So it's totally understandable if you—"

"You and Albert, huh, Candy?" Annie giggled. "I think that may work."

Candy felt her cheeks burn. "That's enough, you two. Albert—"

"What about me?"

Candy's entire body turned rigid at the cheerful masculine voice. Her pulse quickened. Had she spoken too loudly? Candy swiveled her head, and when she saw Albert sauntering closer, his brows raised, she quickly averted her gaze.

"I just heard my name being mentioned. It was nothing bad, I hope." Albert halted his step, standing in the space between Patty and Candy.

"We were talking about how attentive you are to Candy," Annie supplied eagerly, too eagerly.

Candy whirled her head to Annie, casting her a disapproving glare.

"Who's attentive?" Archie suddenly cut in, striding toward them with a cue stick gripped in his hand. "Are you talking about Candy?" Archie stopped next to Albert and rested the long cue to stand upright against the floor. "I agree wholeheartedly. Candy is the most attentive of all among us. That is one of her most admirable qualities, don't you agree Albert?"

Candy winced. What was Archie striving to accomplish by praising her in front of Albert?

"Well…" Albert angled his head, his blue eyes flicking to Candy, startling her, and she could only smile nervously.

"You don't even know what we were talking about, Archie," Annie interjected in a slight reprimanding tone.

"Is that right?" Archie's brows shot up. "I thought you were talking about Candy being attentive."

"No we were not," Annie retorted. "We were talking about Albert actually."

"Albert?" Archie threw a sideways, cursory glance to Albert. "What's he got anything to do with Candy?"

From the scowl surfacing on Annie's face, Candy sensed Annie's agitation and hurriedly attempted to dispel it. "So who won?" Her shrill voice drew everyone's attention to her at once.

Archie huffed aloud and without saying anything, he directed his thumb toward Albert upon which all eyes turned to Albert.

Albert broke into sheepish chuckles, waving his hands out in front of him. "Hey, I'm not _that_ good. It was by pure luck I could win the game."

"Don't be too modest, my friend. You know that wasn't true. Luck might have something to do with it but not all," Archie quipped, evoking a few sniggers from Albert. "Anyway…" Archie averted his gaze from Albert, his lips stretching into a flattering grin. "I was thinking... I see that you ladies are not doing anything particularly stimulating."

"Are you saying that we are a bunch of dull women?" asked Candy in mild irritation.

"No... no, no, no. I didn't say that," Archie rebutted, waggling his hand in front of him. "I'm not finished yet."

"Fine, go on..." Candy reclined against the chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're not going to spend the whole night chatting, right? How about you three join us? Could I interest you in a most engaging game of billiard?"

"Sounds interesting," commented Annie. "But I hope you're not thinking of having you and Albert in one team competing against us three in another team."

Archie gave a nonchalant shrug. "Why not?"

"You and Albert in one team?" Patty asked disbelievingly, and almost immediately Candy trailed with a snicker, "you must be joking right? You and Albert can take us down even when you two are blindfolded."

"So you concede defeat before the battle even begins?" Archie goaded in a half sneer, causing Candy to glower, but before she could counter him with an angry retort, he lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "Kidding. I was just kidding." Archie turned to Albert, resting his hand on Albert's shoulder. "How about you decide on how we split into teams, Albert?"

Albert looked taken aback but quickly recovered. "Hmm... Let's see..." His eyes scanned at the faces around the table. "How about we do this? Candy—you and I will be in one team, and Archie you can be in the other team with Annie and Patty."

"Me?" Candy used her index finger to point at herself, staring at Albert, who only nodded his head to affirm.

"Now that sounds fair. What do you think, ladies?" Archie's smile grew wider with each word uttered, eyes twinkling with excitement.

Patty and Annie exchanged looks and shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."

"But Albert, are you sure?" Candy sought Albert's gaze as she rose from her seat. "I've never played the game before in my entire life."

"No worries. I'll teach you. It's not that difficult. Trust me. Once you have got a handle of the basic moves, you should be good to go."

"Umm… okay." Candy gave Albert a doubtful look of which he returned with an appeasing smile.

The five of them then ambled their way to the other side of the room and congregated by the cue rack. Once Annie, Patty, and Candy had picked up their cues, Albert and Archie took turns, explaining the rules and addressing any question that was raised. There were many variations of billiard, but in order to keep it simple, they settled on a pocket billiard game. The aim was to shoot the colored ball into any of the holes located at six different positions on the table. The winner would be the team that pocketed the most balls.

Then they dispersed into two groups. Archie led Annie and Patty to the other side of the table, and both women began practice hitting the balls right away while Candy observed in dismay. It turned out, Patty and Annie, though claiming to be far from being experienced, had played previously.

"Candy—"

Candy turned her head sharply to the side and stilled. There was something about the sight before her that made her think of an exquisitely carved marble sculpture in a museum. With his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, Albert was leaning over the table's edge in a graceful arc, one arm bent and pulled past his back and the other stretched above the table. The cue, securely gripped in his right hand, was locked in position between his long and slender, deft index finger and middle finger of his left hand.

Albert threw a glance at Candy, catching her off guard. "Why don't you try to do this, Candy? This is how you hold the cue."

Giving Albert a hum in acknowledgment, Candy tightened her grip around the cue and inclined her body forward, trying to imitate him. After she managed to assume the correct stance, Albert spun his head to the front, eyes focused on the ball. Shortly, a loud clack pierced through her ears as Albert struck the ball with his cue, the ball bouncing off the side of the table before rolling to a stop in the middle. He straightened to his full height and retrieved the ball, laying it on the table in front of the tip of her cue. "Your turn, Candy."

Candy, mimicking what Albert had done earlier, moved her cue in a swift thrust, but the tip of the cue veered off to the right into a void space, missing the ball by an inch. The ball remained stagnant on the table. "Drats! I'm so horrible at this." She laughed mockingly at herself against a ripple of Archie's quiet laughter.

"Don't say that. It was only your first try. Everybody could make a mistake. Try again, Candy," Albert coaxed, his blue gaze radiating with warmth.

"Albert is right, Candy," Patty said with a sympathetic smile. "Don't give up yet."

Candy looked around and saw everyone's encouraging gaze. With renewed determination, she pursed her lips in concentration and shifted into position. This time, she applied more force to her thrust, thinking that the first time she had done it she couldn't generate enough momentum. But instead of a powerful strike to the ball, the cue slipped out of her hand and flew across the table. She stared aghast as it landed with a bouncing thud.

Archie burst into guffaw. "Candy—you're supposed to hit the ball with the cue, not hurl the cue."

"That's not very nice, Archie," Annie chided, but a few suppressed giggles escaped from her lips while Patty appeared to be struggling not to laugh.

"You might be better off playing without me, Albert. I'm just not good at this," Candy groused, unable to contain her disappointment.

Albert calmly reached for Candy's cue and handed it back to her. "It's okay. That's only your second time. You should try again. If you could conquer a mighty giant Cypress with barefoot, then this should be a piece of cake for you."

Candy chuckled stiffly. Albert was right. What was so darn difficult about hitting a ball with a stick? She hesitated for a moment before she heaved a loud sigh and took the cue into her hand. Angling her cue tip toward the table, Candy extended her arms out over the length of the cue and leaned forward.

"Make sure your grip is tight," Albert instructed.

"I know—"

Head whipped to her side, Candy sank into abrupt silence when she felt Albert grasp the end of her cue, his hand brushing against hers. She turned deathly still as Albert shifted his position and hovered close behind her, his head next to hers, his other hand planted on the table beside her splayed fingers. An intoxicating scent that was undoubtedly masculine tickled her nose, and she found herself growing dizzy with every whiff she took.

"And keep it tight all the time. Never loosen your hold even for a second." Albert continued talking, but one by one his words faded into muffled indistinct murmur against the thundering of heartbeat in her ears. The awareness of his chest pressing down lightly on her back reduced all coherent thoughts into nothing.

"Also, don't worry about how you spread your fingers on the table. Do whatever you feel comfortable—there's no right or wrong on how you cushion the cue. Aim to hit the center of the ball. You don't need to put too much power. It's more important for you to maintain control of your cue."

The next thing Candy knew, she saw the tip of her cue smacking the ball, propelling it to the other side of the table, the ball bumping off the side guards twice before rolling toward the center and then stopping.

"There… That wasn't so difficult, was it?" Albert drew away from Candy and flashed her a satisfied grin.

In return, Candy could only smile bashfully although she wasn't sure she had been the one who actually had hit the ball. No, she was certain it was Albert—she had been mesmerized by his nearness, that she couldn't even notice what she had been doing or supposed to be doing. Their team would lose because of her.

But later, after their friendly tournament had started, Candy ceased her fretting in an instant. Albert managed to strike one ball after another ball with remarkable precision during his first turn, pocketing nearly half of the total number of available balls, while everybody else, including Archie, could only gawk watching balls ricocheting from side-to-side, shooting across the table, gliding and rolling along the smooth surface of the green cloth before one by one disappearing into the netted hole.

"Are you sure you were not a billiard champion, Albert?" Archie asked to which Albert could only respond with laughter.

Even though Archie had obviously meant his question as a jest, Candy couldn't help but wonder about it. How could he become so good at Billiard? Billiard was widely popular among the upper class—as a vagabond Albert clearly didn't belong in that category. Where had he learned to play? As far as she knew, there wasn't even one billiard club nearby where they lived. So he must have acquired his skill from somewhere else.

The fact that he was an excellent billiard player was yet another thing Candy had learned about Albert. She realized there were a lot of things she didn't know about Albert. In fact, her relationship with Albert could probably described as some sort of an oxymoron. The more time she spent time with him, the more she believed she knew nothing about him. There was a perpetual air of mystery surrounding him, that occasionally it felt as if he were a stranger. Maybe he was _really_ a stranger. After all, she knew nothing about his identity—his full name, his age. She knew nothing about where he had originally come from. She knew nothing about his home, family, or his friends.

Yet, Candy bore no dubious thoughts of Albert. She trusted him wholly despite not knowing anything about him. The way he had treated her conveyed nothing but genuine kindness and affection without any hints of malice, definitely not how a stranger would have behaved toward her. Moreover, it wasn't as though Albert had purposefully kept her in the dark. He suffered from amnesia—he just couldn't remember any of those details pertaining to himself. Perhaps he would have revealed more if he could recall anything.

As the game progressed and everyone had taken their turns, soon there was only one ball left to pocket, and it was the ball that could determine which team would be the winner. Coincidentally, it happened to be Candy's turn.

With her two hands propped on the slick polished wooden surface of the table frame, Candy glared at the lone proud purple ball then at the white ball. The closest pocket was at the right corner of the table, and she could draw a straight imaginary line from there down to the purple ball and to the white ball that stood near the left guard of the table. What she needed to do was to ensure the balls would move straight in the path.

It was then Candy realized that billiard was such a delicate sport, requiring grace and finesse. It relied less on instinct or brute strength but more on acumen and strategy. Climbing a tree and throwing a lasso were not. Therefore, she couldn't just aim blindly, she had to aim well on target. Easier said than done. The theory seemed simple enough, but she really doubted of achieving anything. So far, she had not pocketed a single ball whereas Annie and Patty had each pocketed one.

She felt a pair of hands curving around her shoulders gently and flinched. "Just do your best, Candy," Albert's voice, soothing and calming, reached her ears as he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "You can do it."

Whether it was because of Albert's encouragement, or her own frustration-provoked determination, Candy couldn't tell. But she suddenly felt a burst of confidence as she lowered herself into position, lips pressed, eyes fastened on her targets,.

A deep breath, a shrill resounding tack ripping through the tense silence that lingered over them, and then it was over. The white ball glided to a stop right by the hole; the purple ball had disappeared.

Candy's jaw dropped. "Did I just…"

Albert beamed. "Yes, Candy. You did it. You pocketed the ball for us to win the game. And that was a fantastic move too. Excellent work, Candy."

"Oh my god! I can't believe it. I actually did it. We won!" Candy flung herself to Albert and looped her arms around him tightly. "I couldn't have done it without you, Albert. Thank you…"

Albert didn't reply, but Candy could feel his arms wrap gently around her back, sheltering her in a tender embrace. Her lips stretched into a smile, and without giving it much of a thought, she nestled into his chest, relishing in his warmth, the steady beating of his heart lulling her.

"Isn't that sweet?"

Archie's sing-song, teasing voice mixed with soft female giggles startled Candy, and she hastily disentangled her arms from Albert and stepped back, her gaze darting around, catching Archie's amused smirk, and Patty and Annie small all-knowing smiles.

Candy's smile remained etched on her face, betraying her racing heartbeat and swirling mind. On a whim, she had embraced Albert in front of her friends. It was a spontaneous action, one she had done numerous time in the past without the slightest reservation whenever she had felt happy or excited. But perhaps, while it was acceptable for her younger self to leap into Albert's arms, it was utterly inappropriate for a young woman of her age.

Archie laughed. "Well, I must say you and Candy make quite an invincible pair."

Albert suddenly turned to face Candy, causing her heart to lurch, and he grinned at her, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling with glee. "We certainly do, don't we?"

Unable to withstand Albert's gaze that seemed to possess the power to bewitch her, Candy dipped her head down, her cheeks warm, her lips quivering into a curve forming a shaky shy smile despite her attempt to suppress it. Her own reaction, behaving like a demure lady, was something of novelty to herself.

Luckily, none of her friends seemed to notice the anomaly in her behavior because right at that moment the waiter approached Archie and notified him that the snacks were ready to be served.

While the server cleaned up the table and rearranged it, Candy, Patty, and Annie went to use the ladies room.

For all the time they spent inside the small room, Candy couldn't stop worrying that Patty and Annie would tease her more about Albert.

"Candy, about your friend Tina…" Patty began as she and Candy stood in front of the sinks, washing their hands. "Was she really a student at St. Paul?"

"That's what she told me," Candy replied, turning to look at Patty. She was relieved Patty didn't say anything about Albert.

Patty pulled her hands out of the sink and wiped them with towel. "I don't know if this is about your friend or if there is any truth to what I've heard. But not long after you left the Academy, there was this story about a red-haired female student circulating around the campus. The story surfaced because it was similar to yours."

Candy's eyebrows arched. "You couldn't possibly mean that this girl ran away from school too?" Candy turned off the faucet and shook her hands before dabbing them dry against the towel.

"Yes, with a man," answered Patty, fiddling with the position of her spectacles. "He wasn't a student in St. Paul. In fact, he wasn't a student at all. From what I've gathered, the man was much older than her, and he was a writer or a poet."

"Yeah, I've heard that story too," Annie chimed in as she walked out of one of the toilet stalls and moved toward them. "But I doubt it was real. It sounded like something coming straight out of a romance novel. And nobody knew who this girl was. Not even the name."

"So it could be just a myth…" Candy commented. Yet her mind refuted her own conclusion. There was something oddly familiar about the story, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

"But I know something that is not a myth and would be of interest to you, Candy," Annie said with an inflection of excitement in her voice. "Archie mentioned to me that there will be a huge party in the Plaza Hotel in late spring, and all the members of the Andrews family and their close partners are required to attend. It is a momentous event not to be missed. Can you guess what is it?" Annie dipped her hand under the running water.

Candy shrugged. "I have no idea. A wedding, perhaps?"

"Not quite." Annie shook her head. "It's the formal introduction of the Patriarch of Andrews, your Uncle William. Candy—you're going to finally be able to meet your generous benefactor. Isn't that great?"

"I've not heard anything about it."

Annie gave Candy a reassuring smile. "You shouldn't worry about that. The date has not been set yet. I'm sure George will inform you of the details once everything has been finalized."

"Yes, Candy. Uncle William will surely request your presence at the party," Patty added, resting a hand against Candy's back. "Just like you he must have looked forward to see you in person."

"You think so? Oh, that would be great. I can finally express my utmost gratitude to him. He has done so much for me, that I can't imagine how I would turn out without him in my life."

Their chatter persisted as they made their way back to the private dining room. But the moment they crossed the threshold, their mouths snapped shut altogether. They turned to glance at one another, as though seeking for an answer. The room they entered appeared different than the one they had exited ten minutes ago. It was darker and more inviting. The casual air had disappeared, and there was a mellow song playing from a gramophone, imbuing the room with a touch of romance. The dimmed lighting brought the focus automatically to the crackling fireplace burrowed into the opposite wall from the entrance, where Archie and Albert stood, talking in low voices, a glass goblet partially filled with amber liquid held in each of their hands.

As soon as Archie saw them, he took a quick sip from his glass and settled it atop the wooden mantle. Then he traversed across the room toward them with gait oozing with confidence. Albert followed behind him at a much leisure pace a moment later.

"How about a dance, ladies?" Archie performed a gallant bow, flashing his most charming smile.

"Annie would love to dance with you, Archie," Candy answered with a knowing quirk in her lips, her eyes darting to Annie who had turned beet red in the face.

"But, Candy—"

Archie straightened to his full height and outstretched his hand to Annie. "Shall we, Miss Brighton?"

With her head dipped low and lips tucked in a bashful smile, Annie let Archie lead her to the open area in front of the fireplace, and Candy couldn't help but sigh in wistfulness as she saw them stepping closer toward each other and lacing their hands together. She felt terrible for Annie. No doubt, Archie's decision to move to Boston had devastated Annie, and this could be their last dance in a long while. Sometimes, Candy wondered about Archie's feelings for Annie, whether he truly cherished her, but now seeing the way he held his gaze at Annie, gentle yet with intense adoration, she felt her worry was unfounded.

"Would you like to dance, Candy?"

Candy's heart leaped. Had she heard what she thought she had just heard? Candy spun her head sideways. No, she had not mistaken hearing that at all. It was really Albert who had voiced the question as she could verify from the expectant look on his face. She turned her head to the other side and met Patty's smiling face.

"Umm… Maybe not right now," Candy replied, keeping her gaze on Patty. Patty had been in a cheerful mood, and the last thing Candy wanted to do was to cause Patty to feel lonely, where she would inevitably start thinking about Stear and become depressed by it. "Why don't you dance with Patty instead, Albert?" Candy suggested good-naturedly, wiping the smile on Patty's face completely as Patty stared at her with questions swimming in her big brown eyes.

When Candy turned to face Albert, apart from the surprise painted across his face, she caught something else in his expression. But before she could decipher what it was, Albert had diverted his attention to Patty. "Patty, would you like to dance?"

Patty peered at Candy behind her glasses, looking unsure. "I…"

"Don't mind me, Patty," Candy assured with a grin. "I will be at the table, sampling all those scrumptious snacks to my heart's content. Go dance with Albert." As if to prove her words, Candy pivoted away from them and strode to the dining table. As she took her seat, she could see Albert and Patty joining Archie and Annie, dancing in front of the fireplace.

Her eyes idly swept the table that was now an alluring display of delicious array of small edibles: cheese and crackers, biscuits, cookies, dried and fresh fruits. But for whatever reason, she didn't jump at the opportunity to pile her plate high with her favorite snacks as she had claimed she would and only picked three pieces of wheat crackers and a slice of cheese. She supposed she was still full from all the pasta she had eaten earlier.

She nibbled on her cracker slowly and let her gaze wander about before she found it gravitate back toward her friends.

In one corner, away from the fireplace, Archie and Annie swayed to the music, whispering quietly to each other. In contrast, soft laughter and giggles flitted from the other dancing pair, as Albert and Patty seemed to be engrossed in a lively chat, enjoying each other's company, which was quite surprising to Candy, as she thought Patty would be too shy to strike any conversation with Albert, let alone joking around with him. This was the first time she had ever seen them interact close—the first time ever Candy had seen Albert with another woman, and Candy must admit Patty and Albert did make an adorable couple.

As the song progressed, Candy's amusement gradually unraveled with each sip of wine she consumed before it dissolved completely into a frown when Albert and Patty resumed dancing after a brief pause in which the gramophone switched to the next song.

Could it be possible that Patty _liked_ Albert? Well, Patty did say Albert was rather handsome. With Stear gone, Patty might have a longing for another man to fill the void.

Patty and Albert. Now that was something she had never thought possible. But why not? They both were her friends whom she loved dearly. She should be happy if that were to happen.

She should—but she couldn't, for the thought of Albert and Patty as a couple did nothing but prick at her heart painfully.

Deluged by a sudden urge to leave the room, Candy leaped to her feet but could only move a few steps from the table before she had to come to an abrupt halt with Patty appearing out of nowhere and obstructing her path.

"Candy, where are you going?" Candy couldn't tell from Patty's tone whether she was upset or not. "Now is your turn to dance. You're the only one who hasn't danced," Patty stated.

Candy waved her hand up. "I'm fine. Really. I don't need to." Her smile faltered when her gaze inadvertently met Albert's, who observed from a distance away, and she swiftly steered her gaze back to Patty. "Besides, you seemed to be quite fond dancing with Albert. Why don't you continue dancing with him?"

The creases along Patty's brows deepened, and Candy felt her heart drop, realizing how terribly insincere and impertinent she had sounded. "Patty—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Dance with Albert, Candy," Patty insisted, a glint of determination in her eyes. "You owe him one."

"Patty—"

Candy's protest was transformed into a loud shriek as she found herself being dragged by Patty and then pushed toward Albert, causing her to wobble on her feet and stumble forward. Fumbling to regain her balance and composure, Candy hadn't realized she had been clinging tightly to Albert. But the instant she became aware of the warm and hard plane she pressed herself into was Albert's body, she unwound her arms and sprang back, putting a considerable distance between them, her heart setting off in a frenzy.

"You look at me as if I were a frightening beast about to pounce on you." Albert laughed, his laughter sounding uncharacteristically hollow to her ears. "That's okay. I know you don't want to dance with me."

Only then it dawned on Candy that she might have hurt him unwittingly. "No, that's not true…" She took a deep breath. "It's just that… I… " she murmured, looking down at the floor.

"I was just teasing you, Candy," Albert cut in. "It's fine if you don't feel like dancing tonight…"

Candy raised her head timidly. "But, I do. I do want to dance with you." A shy smile nestled in the delicate folds of her lips. "But I'm a terrible dancer, and I can only do waltz."

Albert's countenance brightened as a smile slowly developed. "I'm not an expert either. We can start slow… Well, shall we?"

Candy blinked. For a second, she thought she had just seen someone else instead of her friend Albert. His gesture, even though it was a mere subtle head tilt coupled with a swiping hand move that was not nearly as grand as Archie's, exuded regal grace, a trait possessed only by a high born gentleman. Absently, she followed Albert to the middle of the room and placed herself an arm's length away from him. Albert gripped her hand lightly in his while his other hand rested gently against the small of her back, her gaze fastened on his feet as he began to move to the rhythm. For the second time that night, Candy found herself pondering over Albert's background.

There were stories she had heard of men and women born of illustrious families who, for reasons only known to themselves, had relinquished their surnames and opted to live as commoners. Was it possible that Albert was such a person? From all their past encounters, from Lakewood to London to Chicago, he had always appeared modest, wearing normal clothes. His looks, however, had undergone a dramatic transformation from the very first time she had met him. Gone were the beard and the mustache, then the glasses that hid his beautiful azure eyes, then his hair and now…

She tilted her head back, her eyes roaming over Albert's face, skimming over his finely sculpted features that were devoid of blemishes and flaws.

But her leisure perusal was cut short when Albert suddenly cocked a brow at her, as though asking her.

Embarrassed to have been caught staring, Candy quickly shook her head, whipping her head away from him. "Nothing."

"You know, I don't think you're a terrible dancer at all. So far you haven't stepped on my foot."

Candy pouted, feigning annoyance. "That's not funny."

"I'm sorry." Albert bestowed her with an apologetic smile. "If you want to stop now, we—"

"No, this is fine. I quite enjoy it actually."

"Do you really? You looked so distracted earlier. Has something been bothering you?" Albert's blue eyes regarded hers carefully.

And just like that, the question that had plagued her mind spewed out of her mouth. "Albert—are you worried at all you still haven't recovered from amnesia?"

Stupefaction veiled Albert's face for a moment before he abruptly glanced away from her, his lips pulled into a straight line. "About that…" he paused, releasing a breath in a wheeze. "If you're worried that I've been living with you for too long, I can move out. I understand my staying—"

"NO—"

Candy's bellow penetrated through the mellifluous tune, boring a moment of disruption in the tranquil atmosphere.

Candy stared at Albert's perplexed face, and peering past his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Archie and Annie watching her curiously. It hadn't been her intention to be brash, but the thought that Albert had misunderstood her had filled her with irrational fear, and she had acted without thinking. Reverting her focus to Albert, she swallowed. "No," she repeated in a near whisper. "That's not what I meant at all. I don't mind living with you at all, even if you—if you never recover. You can live with me as long as you want…"

The meaning of the statement she had just delivered didn't seep into her mind until she noticed they had ceased moving. Albert's face was a shield of bewilderment and sadness.

Candy felt panic lodging in her throat, her gaze drifting aimlessly, her heart pounding. She couldn't believe she had just told Albert that she essentially was willing to commit herself to him—to continue living with him indefinitely, against which her friends had persuaded her from doing.

"Umm… I didn't mean that—you know what I mean… I mean… Umm…"

A fleeting squeeze of her hand propelled Candy to turn mute at once, and she felt Albert tug her gently toward him as they resumed dancing. "Thank you, Candy. I'm most grateful for your kind offer." Albert smiled, his tender gaze sending warmth to her heart. "To be honest, I rather live here with you than anywhere else in the world, but…" His smile gradually disintegrated, his jaw clenching in firm conviction. "I can't do that. I don't feel right to keep imposing on you. At some point, I must move out."

"Albert…"

Albert looked at Candy fixedly, sending her a tacit plea.

Candy bit her lips, struggling to put on a smile. It was just so impossibly difficult to smile when she only wanted to argue with him, yet she understood she mustn't—she ought to respect him, respect his wish. She had no right to make him stay with her. "I understand…" she finally uttered in a resigned whisper a moment later.

Without another word emitted by either of them, they continued their dance in silence until the song was finished, and together with Archie and Annie, they returned to their seats.

Candy gave Patty a rueful smile as she settled herself into the chair next to Patty. "Patty… I…"

"It's fine, Candy," Patty dismissed with a smile. "I know you were worried about me."

"I just didn't want you to feel alone…"

Patty heaved a sorrowful sigh. "I appreciate your concern. But even when I'm surrounded with people, the grief is still there. It feels like a dull pain in my chest."

Candy patted Patty's hand lightly. She could relate to what Patty was saying, for she had experienced the pain herself, twice. "It will get better. I promise."

Patty smiled weakly. "I know…"

Compared to what her friends had to endure, Patty's struggle with her anguish over Stear and Annie's insecurity over her relationship with Archie, for once, Candy felt everything was fine for her. She had her job. She had Tina, who had introduced her to some new friends. She had George and Uncle William. And she had… Candy's gaze traversed across the table and lingered on her blond roommate, who seemed to be preoccupied conversing with Archie and Annie. She had Albert.

But for how long? Candy didn't know when he would leave, but a gnawing feeling in her gut told her it could happen soon—probably even sooner than she thought.

Fate had been her cruel adversary. It had snatched away everything she had held dear in the blink of an eye, when she had least expected, in the moment when happiness was within her grasp, with Anthony, with Terry. Yet she had managed to have her heart mended because there had been someone by her side. It hadn't been Annie, or Patty, or Archie or anyone else, for that matter—rather, it had always been Albert. Albert had always been there when she had needed him the most, lending his comforting arms, brushing away her tears with his gentle hands, and whispering tender words.

But who would console her when Albert was gone?

Just as Candy felt her spirit deflate, the merriment in the room diminished. The ache of separation manifested itself in Archie's somber speech, Annie's reluctant smile, and Patty's melancholic gaze, and with the needles on the clock drawing near to the nine o'clock mark, the party came to an end.

Two things became very clear to Candy as she exchanged tearful goodbye hugs with her friends. One she despised farewell. Two she never wished to say goodbye to Albert.

For that reason, she resolved she would never ask Albert to leave nor would she ever forsake him, despite the consequences and risks of being caught by Aunt Elroy or Uncle William, despite the words of warning and advice Tina, Patty, and Annie had inundated her with, despite her conscience nudging at her. If tomorrow he woke up, remembering everything and telling her that he would have to leave, then she would let him. But until that dreadful time arrived, she would continue living with him.

Perhaps she was being selfish—that might very well be. But just this once, she would allow her selfish side win, for the thought of parting from him brought profound despair to her heart and losing him was akin to losing a part of herself—it would utterly devastate her.

"Candy—are you coming?"

Candy jerked her head up to see Albert heading toward her and only then she noticed she had stood unmoving in the middle of the stairway of the station. They had just alighted the train that had transported them back to their hometown.

Shaking herself out of her trance, Candy donned a smile to cover her lapse as Albert trod up one more step so that they were at eye level with each other, but before she could even open her mouth to reply, Albert swiftly leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against her forehead.

Mouth agape, she could only stare at him as he drew away. Her fingers rubbed at the spot where his lips had left a warm, soft impression against her skin.

"That was for pocketing the winning ball for our team," he explained with a smile, his blue eyes gleaming with tenderness that made her heart sigh in contentment. Then as he pivoted to turn his back to her, he whispered, "And for the kiss you had stolen from me two nights ago."

Candy's heart lurched to a stop and then soared into raging pounding against her ribcage, her arms falling limp to her sides, a scene from two days ago flashing in the back of her mind.

How could Albert know about that? Had he been awake the whole time?

It had been an impulsive act, one that she had not, even for a second, contemplated over. But a kiss was still a kiss, and she couldn't deny Albert's allegation—she indeed had stolen a kiss from him. She felt awful. What must have Albert thought of her now? That she was some kind of thief-kissing fiend? Shame and guilt cascaded over her like heavy boulders tumbled down the mountain in an avalanche.

"I'm sorry… I mean it was a—a…"Candy kept her gaze at Albert's retreating back, her fingers furling and unfurling as she frantically fumbled to link words into a proper apology and an explanation. "You know, I—"

"It's fine, Candy. You don't need to explain. I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it other than a friendly gesture, right?"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Albert suddenly whirled around to face her, wearing his usual tender smile, but there was something in his eyes that seemed to entreat her to challenge his statement. Candy felt her tongue turn numb, words stubbornly adhering to the lining in her throat. The urge to whip her head down to avert her gaze from his penetrating one nearly overwhelmed her but she somehow managed to restrain it.

A deep chuckle floated into her ears and defused the palpable tension between them. "You don't need to steal a kiss from me, Candy." Albert winked. "I would be more than happy to let you kiss me anytime." With that he strode off leaving Candy behind.

As Candy began to comprehend what his statement could imply, she felt her whole face ablaze with heat. "It was only a joke, Candy. He hadn't really meant it," she said to herself.

"Candy—"

"Huh?"

Albert stood with his back propped against the wall of the corridor, arms crossed over his chest. "Are you coming or do you need me to carry you? At this rate, we might have to spend the night here."

Candy stiffened before embarrassment spurred her to skip all the way down to the bottom of the stairs and dashed past Albert, Albert's amused chuckles trailing after her as she quickened her pace to exit the building. But her step suddenly halted, the tip of her boot protruding an inch over the raised floor of the narrow terrace. She tipped her head back, eyes wide with wonderment, peering at the myriad tiny glitters cascading from the dark sky. Her upturned hand reached forward to catch a few of the sparkling flakes, but upon landing on her palm, they melted into beads of water.

"Ah… flurries," Albert commented, standing next to her.

Candy heaved a contented sigh, her breath condensed into a cloud of fine mist that was instantly dispersed into the air by the wind. "You were right when you said it was going to snow today. Driving in this condition would have been bad… " She turned her head toward Albert, his profile to her, tendrils of blond hair swaying gently across his forehead.

"Yeah…" Albert steered his gaze in Candy's direction and smiled. "Shall we go home now before it gets worse?"

"Yes."

They stepped out of the covered terrace and into the walkway with fluttering white flurries flying all around them. The streets were mostly empty, bereft of casual passersby and the group of middle-age men who usually mingled by the corner, smoking, drinking, and playing cards. The soles of their shoes crunching against the brick sidewalk echoed every step they made as they trotted their way toward the apartment in silence. Fine flurries steadily growing into soft mass continued to fall, dusting the grounds and rooftops with white powder and accumulating into small lumps around the windowsills.

Candy blew warm breath into her hands. It sure was chilly tonight compared to the afternoon. Unfortunately, she had not brought her scarf nor gloves. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. At least, she had worn her wool winter coat. She dug her hands deep into her coat pockets.

All of a sudden, she felt something drape over her shoulders. Her fingers gripped at the soft material, and she threw a swift glance to her side.

"The scarf should help keeping you warm a bit," Albert merely explained.

Their brisk pace dropped to lingering as they stepped into a spot illuminated by the streetlamp.

She was deeply touched. Albert's kindness knew no bounds. "Thanks… But how about you? You will be without a scarf."

Albert's hand reached for the end of the scarf and wrapped it across her neck and over her shoulder to secure it. "I'll be fine, Candy. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Did he even care about himself? "But you could be the one ending up with a cold."

"Since I would have you to nurse me back to my health, that wouldn't be a terrible predicament, would it?" Albert quipped, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Candy felt heat rise to her face. "Sto—"

Her retort was cast aside when she felt a drop of cold water landing on the tip of her nose. Instead of pure snow, it had changed to a mixture of ice, snow, and water.

With a firm clasp around her hand, Albert began dragging her along. "We should hurry home now. I don't want us to be caught in freezing rain. Who knows what could happen in the next few minutes!"

Candy simply nodded in assent and picked up her pace to match Albert's. Her fingers curled over Albert's hand, and she felt the smooth pad of his thumb lightly graze her skin. Sneaking a glance over his shoulder, Albert raised his brows at her in an inquiring look that she returned with a hasty smile and a headshake. He smiled back. But as soon as he rotated his head to the front, her smile wilted, like a rose abandoned in the hot desert.

Albert would leave her. The hand that held hers would be no more, leaving nothing but a flimsy illusion of warmth, his smile a floating shadow in the dark recess of her mind.

Her moping, however, was short lived.

About halfway to the apartment, without warning, the soft snow intensified into ferocious pelting of solid ice pellets, beating hard against them. They broke into a frenzied run, but it was impossible to look straight ahead with wind blasting slivers of ice into their eyes. Candy ducked her head, clutching at the scarf and tugging it up to cover half of her face. Albert's hold around her tightened, and the next thing she knew, she was yanked to the side. The heels of her boots skidded over the frosty ground, throwing her off balance. She staggered and collided onto him, face pressed onto his chest.

For a moment, they remained still in their entangled position with his arms wrapping tightly around her, enveloping her in a protective embrace, the rise and fall of their chests racing against each other. Candy moved her head off Albert's chest slightly and noted that they huddled in a corner of a building. There was an overhanging ledge right above them, wide enough to provide shelter from the heavy sleets.

A gush of icy breeze beat against them, and Candy shivered, burrowing her head back into Albert's chest, her fingers scraping and grasping at the damp and cold material of his sweater. Only then she noted the tremors from his body that shook against her. She pushed herself away from him and looked up. Upon seeing the streaks of frost that coated parts of his face and fringes, she gasped. If he had kept his scarf, this wouldn't have happened. Her hands reached up to his cheeks, rubbing the wispy flakes of ice crystals away from his skin. She let one thumb move in a tentative sweep over his skin and graze his quivering upper lip. The flesh felt as cold as ice, and the color was no longer healthy light pink but pale blue. Instinctively, cupping his face in her hands, she hoisted herself up on her tiptoes and craned her neck until she could feel his cold lips on hers in the ghost of a touch. She blew onto his lips gently, hoping that she could transmit some of her heat onto him, the least she could do for him.

But when her gaze clashed with a pair of astounded blue eyes, the realization of what she had just done shocked her to the core. What was she doing? Was she kissing him?

Candy dropped her heels back to the ground and retracted her hands swiftly, attempting to wriggle free, but the arms that roped around her didn't budge. Whipping her head down in shame, she whimpered, "I… I don't know why I did that… I…" Her voice was nothing but low murmurs muffled by the rumbling sleets. "But… you did say I could kiss you anytime." She gulped. That last statement. Why on earth had she said that? "No, that wasn't... I mean... I—"

She stopped her stammering at once when she felt Albert's cold fingers grip her chin gently and cant it at an angle.

"Ummm… Yeah… I did—I did say that, didn't I?" He chuckled, but there was no trace of humor in his voice.

With her heart thumping fiercely inside her chest, she willed herself to slide her eyelids up bit by bit. The instant Albert's entire face filled her vision, her breath hitched, and she was instantly immersed in his dark eyes that glimmered with undisguised adoration.

This time, it was Albert's lips that sought hers first in the briefest of a brush, sending a jolt of tingle down her spine.

The shock threw her mind spinning. Her conscience ordered her to flee, but she made no move to push Albert away when he cradled her jaw in his hand, his fingers, surprisingly much warmer now, trailing a soft caress on her skin. He regarded her silently, his eyes penetrating into hers, as though searching into her soul. Her heart pounding faster, her breath raspy, she thought she was about to burst at the seams from the anticipation. What was he thinking? She wished she could read his mind. She wished he could say something. She wished she could say something, anything. But all her thoughts dissipated into haze as she watched through hooded eyes his lips descend slowly toward her lips before claiming hers in a passionate kiss that sapped the breath out of her. She clung to him with all her might and reciprocated without reserve, the best way her inexperienced self could, mimicking his movement, every ardent stroke, every voracious nibble. He deepened the kiss, drawing one shuddering gasp after another from her; his hands dropped to her neck, smooth fingertips stroking and kneading at the sensitive area beneath the scarf. Her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, and her whole body simmered with heat despite the biting cold air. She grew dizzy but didn't dare to draw away, didn't dare to open her eyes, terrified of what would happen next.

A moment later, though, Albert detached his lips from hers, and her eyes flew open.

Their gazes sought each other as he retreated, his mouth ajar, as if he were about to say something, but no word left his mouth. He only wound his arms around her, pulling her tight against him, and she found herself nuzzled under his chin. "Let's wait here a bit…" he said, his voice a hoarse rumble in her ears.

Candy nodded mutely into his chest, feeling the rapid palpitation of his heart that beat in tandem with hers.

The passing storm gradually abated, but the storm lashing inside of her didn't show any sign of ebbing.

Not once had she ever imagined that this would ever happen, not tonight, not with Albert—definitely not with Albert.

Now what?

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably shouldn't have bothered setting a word limit. LOL. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.  
> And yes, it's super long.  
> I contemplated to split it into two but decided against it as it might ruin the flow.  
> It is supposed to be a chapter with a slow build up that leads to a nice climax. Well, at least, that was the intention. I hope I managed to deliver it somewhat.
> 
> And I thought it's the perfect place to end the chapter, don't you think? ;)
> 
> The next update may take longer though.  
>  
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


	9. Chapter 9

“George?” Tina shrieked between fits of screechy giggles, partly amused, partly relieved. The man was certainly the last person she thought she would see tonight. “It’s funny huh? How you’ve always seemed to manage to catch me in my worst of the worst moments.”

“Miss Tina?” George strode to Tina as she grappled to free herself from the vice grips of the two burly men who had dragged her out of the hotel’s ballroom.

“Do you know her, Mr. Johnson?” One of the men asked.

“Of course he does,” Tina snapped before George could answer. She peered at him from beneath her long lashes, her lips stretching in a coquettish grin. “Right, Mr. Johnson?”

George was unfazed. “Yes, I do know her.”

“We caught her trespassing on your private event and causing disruption for the guests,” the man with the dirty blond hair explained.

“I didn’t mean to trespass,” Tina interjected in a low mutter, glaring at the man. "I was looking for someone.”

The man just disregarded her and continued, “What would you like us to do with her, sir? Do you want us to alert the police?”

"No," replied George promptly. “That won’t be necessary. I can take her from here.”

Tina whipped her head to George and then back to the man who had been the subject of her glare earlier, giving him a triumphant smirk as she heard the other man ask George, “Are you sure that's what you want to do, sir?”

“Yes.” George nodded. His dark assessing gaze never moved from Tina’s face. “And one more thing," he added while the two men released their holds on Tina and stepped back. "Could one of you do me a favor, and please tell Madam Elroy’s driver to bring the car to the front of the hotel? The madam wishes to return to the mansion immediately.”

“Will do, sir.”

Tina glowered at the men as they walked away. Her hands busied massaging her sore arms. Once their figures disappeared around the corner, she staggered forward and caught George by the arm with her two hands. “Do you think I look like a whore, George?” She batted her lashes, her rosy lips jutting out in a petulant smile.

George emitted a long, resigned sigh. “I believe you’re completely inebriated, Miss Tina,” he stated, his tone level, and then without waiting for her to respond, he spun to the other side and began walking. “I don't know how you ended up here or what were you doing—but come, I’ll take you to your home.”

“You didn't answer my question, George,” Tina muttered and then leaped into a small run to catch up with him. “Do you think I'm a whore?" she asked again. "Those goons certainly think I am. I may be a tad friendly and exuberantly forward in my manners compared to other women, but contrary to what those lowly bastards think of me, I’m not a whore—I’ve come from a well respected family. Bet you didn’t know that, huh?” She arched her neck, puffing her chest out with complacency. “Well, I am—I’m an expert at disguising myself. I…” Tina’s voice trailed as she noticed George hadn’t spared a single glance her way. “Are you even listening to me?” She halted her step.

George remained quiet and continued his stride, the distance between them increasing.

“Hey Mr. Johnson! I'm talking to you,” Tina retorted in an angry holler, scowling at George’s retreating back. The man's indifference grated on her nerves, and she would let him know just how much she despised being ignored. With a brash huff, she darted past him and whirled around, forcing him to stop in his track to avoid colliding into her. He had no time to react when she swiftly and firmly grabbed his head with both hands, yanking it toward her and crashing their lips together.

The instant George realized what was happening, he shoved Tina away from him with force, sending her wobbling backward as she fumbled to maintain her footing. “THAT’S ENOUGH.” His deep voice thundered across the hotel’s deserted corridor that led to the parking lot at the rear of the building.

“Oh… You can actually get mad,” Tina jeered, pointing an index finger at George. “So you’re a human being with feelings, after all. I thought you’re nothing but someone’s puppet—” She flung herself to him and burrowed her head into the crook between his neck and shoulder as he remained absolutely still in his spot, as rigid as a statue, arms hanging dormant to his sides.

Feeling suddenly warm and buoyant, Tina burst into hysterical laughter. Her body felt lighter, almost weightless, as though it was ascending into the sky. Then everything around her gradually faded into billowing black dots until the last sliver of light was sapped, leaving stark darkness.

****************

Turmoil wasn’t a foreign notion to Candy. She had experienced it way too many times in her life that she could care to remember, but nothing compared to what she was feeling at the moment. One minute she was in a beautiful blooming garden, and the next she was in a plummet to a dark abyss, floating hopelessly down an endless maelstrom. Her heart was a mess, pounding and thumping in unsteady, furious cadence in her chest. Her mind was in utter chaos, a spectrum of emotions, from good to bad, wanted and unwanted, all jammed inside her.

She was confused, frustrated, and… maybe a tad irritated to an extent, and then from somewhere buried underneath the jumble of dark feelings and thoughts, there was a bright ray of excitement seeping through.

Who would’ve thought? She and Albert had kissed, really kissed, not the chaste kind of kiss between friends but the passionate kind that had the power to turn her breath into broken gasps, set her body ablaze, and melt her entire being into a puddle of goo. It was similar to the heart racing, spine tingling kiss described in Tina’s story, the one she had craved—only better, exponentially better. The kiss conjured by her imagination was pale in comparison to the real thing, not even close. There was simply no one word in English she could use to properly explain the feeling elicited by the intimate act. Unbelievably, exceedingly, immensely, amazingly good was one way to describe it. Maybe this was _the bliss_ Tina had told her about. The kiss certainly had tasted like a morsel of bliss.

But… Now what?

The same question that had badgered her—since she had taken shelter in the little corner of a building, cocooned in Albert’s warm embrace as the heavy pelting of ice had diminished to snow shower—had continued to do so now, more than an hour later. Her hope for it to be answered tonight had vanished.

Not a single word had left Albert’s mouth during the ten-minute trudge along the slush-covered walkway to the apartment. If it hadn’t been for the sturdy fingers lacing with her own, she would have thought she had been alone. She had reasoned he probably just wanted to go home as quickly as possible to prevent from being frozen to death, but her assumption had turned out to be wrong. Albert had kept quiet even after they had arrived in the apartment.

Seeing how he had stood unmoving by the door for an extended moment, staring at an invisible object on the wall, seemingly in a trance, she had been worried he might be sick. So she had approached him, laying a tentative hand on his arm. “Albert… ”

She was taken aback when he jerked away from her upon contact, staring at her fixedly before abruptly saying, “You should change out of your wet clothes right away, Candy.” Then, without looking at her, he had walked past her and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll heat the water for your bath.”

Candy recalled how she had suddenly felt disconcerted—perhaps somewhat annoyed too—at his not-so-discreet display of aloofness. She had wanted to argue with him. “How about you? You need it more than I do. You’re the one who is soaked!” Uneager to add more strain to the already tense atmosphere by instigating an unnecessary quarrel, she had swallowed all the words forcefully down her throat and rushed to the bedroom to prepare herself for a bath. 

The hot bath had felt wonderfully soothing, a much needed relief for her body after having been exposed to the bitter cold outside, but it had done nothing to her frazzled mind. As she had sat idle in the bathtub with water lapping at her chin, a slew of troublesome thoughts flitted through her mind. She couldn't quell the nagging feeling that Albert was avoiding her, and after she had emerged from the bathroom, it became apparent to her that it was indeed the truth. He had dismissed her attempt to initiate a chat by telling her that she should go to sleep early. It was then she had realized he had no desire to engage them in any type of conversation whatsoever, let alone to talk about the kiss.

Although every part of her was screaming in protest, she had conceded to his wishes and retired to bed.

Now, here she was, lying on her bed, staring at the dark ceiling above her, grappling and wrestling with her own thoughts, while Albert was somewhere outside in the living area, doing who knew what.

There was only a wall, five-to-six inches in thickness, separating them, yet there seemed to be a veil of loneliness shrouding her that made it feel as though they were thousands miles apart, in different continents.

Was it going to be like this between them from here on? Awkward, tense, distant…

That would be awful. She didn’t want it to be like that at all. But what could she do?

There was not much she could do if he kept pushing her away. The circumstances reminded her of how he had behaved in the beginning, not too long after she had found him in St. Joanna Hospital. At that time, he had pushed her away as well and insisted he would only bring her troubles, yet she had not heeded him and held on tight to her resolve to care for him. Maybe if she could exert the same amount of courage and tenacity to their current situation, she could demolish the invisible barrier that stood between them.

Then what? It wasn't as though she knew exactly what she had to tell him, or what she wanted from him. Did she even know what she wanted?

Suddenly, the door creaked open, bringing her chain of thoughts to a halt.

Panic ripping through her, Candy yanked the blanket up to her neck and snapped her eyes shut.

“Candy…” Albert’s low whisper rumbled against the rapid thudding of her heart. From the quiet, steady shuffling, she could tell he was moving closer, but she commanded herself not to open her eyes, lying completely still in her position.

The insistent, gentle rustles from below her bunk told her that he was rummaging through something. Before long, the rustling was replaced by retreating footsteps followed by a muted click from the closing door, and then once again silence reclaimed the room.

Albert had finally approached her—which was what she had been hoping he would do—and what was she doing? Pretending to be asleep? Why had she done that?

Now he probably thought she didn't want to talk to him. Worse, he might think she didn't want him here anymore. Was he going to leave her?

Her eyes sprung open at the dreadful possibility, and only then the folly of her action dawned upon her.

She wanted to slap herself over and over again until the magnanimity of what she had committed burnt into her skin. She had been the instigator, the perpetrator, so to speak. She had, whether she wanted to admit it or not, seduced him. How could she have been so foolish? Who would in their right mind use their lips to warm someone? The wine she had consumed during the party must have impaired her judgment, and Albert, having gulped more glasses of liquor than she had, must have been in a similar state of inebriation, if not worse. The frigid temperature hadn’t helped either and must have caused their brains to turn even more sluggish. It was in this debilitating condition, with their inhibitions at their lowest, their bodies and senses numbed from the cold, they had engaged in the kiss. And now, after the awareness had returned, what remained was… remorse.

If she had dreaded him leaving, what had transpired between them might inevitably convince him to move out sooner.

Thinking about it punctured a gash in her heart, and she pressed her lips together until the pain from the pressure and the stinging from the unshed tears in her eyes compelled her to emit a sharp puff.

She had to apologize for her audacity. Beg him to forgive her if she had to—but try as she might, she couldn’t seem to make her limbs to move. It was as if there was something that had been injected into her body, paralyzing all her nerves and muscle cells.

Maybe tonight wasn’t a good time for either of them to talk. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Yes, tomorrow—tomorrow when her mind was much clearer she would apologize to him. Hopefully, tomorrow wouldn't be too late, and she could still see him in the morning. Albert wouldn't leave without saying anything. If he had any intention to leave her, he at least would have the courtesy to notify her first, right?

Candy rolled toward the wall to lie on her side, exasperation echoing in her sigh. She just wanted to go to sleep. Yet once again, she found herself in a futile quest for the elusive serenity. Where was _sandman_ when she needed him? What was deemed to be a basic human ability became quite a struggle for her to achieve. Her eyes just wouldn’t shut despite how physically and emotionally spent she felt. They kept snapping open soon after she squeezed them close. Every time she began to doze, the faintest of noises from outside the room jolted her awake. Her ears strained to identify each sound, trying to catch any nuance of footsteps and squeaks. It was as though she was expecting Albert to walk out of the door at any second. But when midnight slithered by, the weight of exhaustion became too much for her to bear, and she eventually fell into a dreamless slumber.

The next morning, as soon as Candy’s eyes fluttered open, everything that had happened last night—every uttered word, every action, deliberate or not-deliberate, every shred of emotion, worry, fear, and doubt—crashed into her without warning, dispelling any vestige of sleep. She was almost sure Albert had left her last night, and seeing his bed and bedding had been left untouched further confirmed her suspicion. So when she barged out of the room only to find him greeting her with his usual cheerful smile, she was rendered dumbfounded.

“Good morning.”

Was last night just a dream?

“… Morning…” Candy replied absently, moving toward the table in unsure steps, the smell of food tickling her nose.

Albert rose from his seat. Donning a different sweater than the one he had worn yesterday and a pair of trousers, he looked ready for work. “I have prepared some breakfast for you. The usual, nothing fancy.”

Candy’s gaze dropped to the table. Toasts, jelly, fried eggs, two strips of bacon, and a steaming cup of fragrant tea, they were laid out for her to feast upon. “Umm… Thanks…” She returned her attention to Albert and saw him striding to the door. There was nothing from the way he carried himself, be it in his voice or action or expression, that reminded her of his cold behavior last night. Was it all just in her imagination?

“I’m sorry I have to leave now.” Albert turned to face her, slipping his arms into his jacket sleeves. “But I plan to return before dinner. Don’t worry about cooking anything for tonight. I’ll order something from the restaurant.”

“Uhhh… Okay…” Candy regarded him quietly, still feeling at a loss.

The gaiety in Albert's expression faded as he released a long sigh. “About last night…”

Candy’s heart lurched. This would've been the perfect time for her to utter her apology. Yet she couldn't seem to gather the courage she desperately needed to do what she advocated herself to do, and she bit her inner cheek to smother the urge to whimper in frustration.

Albert's lips curved in a disarming smile. “We need to talk, but now is probably not the best time. We both need to rush to work.” Albert paused, heaving another sigh before adding, “Tonight should be better. We can talk as long as we want without any interruption.”

Candy swallowed. A small part of her was relieved at the suggestion and accepted it with gladness—it was after all what she had hoped for since last night—but the other part was as much in a wreck as it had been the moment he had greeted her earlier. “Umm… yeah… ”

“Well—” Albert halted, breaking into a loud sneeze. “Ugh… " he continued. "I’ll see you later.”

When Candy discerned the faint sniffle in his voice, her instinct as a nurse kicked in, and she rushed to him. As he spun toward her, his expression dangling between curious and surprise, she leaped to her tiptoes, placing the back of her hand onto his forehead. A relieved sigh flew out of her. “No fever…” she mumbled to herself.

“What are you doing?” Albert chuckled, seizing her hand in a firm grip and moving it off his temple, but the abruptness of his movement startled Candy and caused her to lose her balance completely. With a loud oomph, she tumbled right into him, face first.

Candy was mortified. Not again… She seemed to have acquired the tendency to fall _on_ him whenever she was within his proximity.

Albert held her by the shoulders and pushed her away from him slightly. Their eyes met, and for a moment, as she found herself entranced by the pair of smiling, gentle blue eyes, Candy forgot how to breathe.

“Umm… I need to go now, Candy,” Albert murmured, as though he was reminding her, prompting her to jump a step back. Candy could feel heat begin to diffuse across her cheeks. “I’ll see you later.” He patted her head lightly and then walked out of the door.

In reflex, her hand flew to the spot where he had touched her. “… later…” Candy blinked at the door that was left ajar, a smile creeping at the edges of her lips.

A delicious aroma percolating through the air lured her to steer her gaze toward the table, and the sight of the crispy bacon made her mouth water. With one firm push, she shut the door and went to the table. She settled herself down in the chair and grasped the cup by its handle. As she took a small sip of the tea, her gaze inadvertently caught the familiar fabric that had protected her from the icy blast last night hanging on the hook on the wall next to the door.

The conclusion came to her at once: Albert had forgotten his scarf. How could he be so careless? At this rate, he would end up being sick for real.

Candy leaped out of her chair and grabbed her coat from the other hook. Shrugging into it, she ran out of the apartment, Albert’s scarf clutched in her hand leaving an undulating trail of fabric behind her. She was glad she had worn her winter coat. The flimsy material of her nightgown wouldn’t be sufficient to protect her from the cold. Despite the clear sky and bright sun, the temperature was still as frigid as last night. Remnants from the fast moving storm could be seen all around: piles of snow in every corner, icicles hanging off building ledges and tree branches, and windows covered with glistening frost.

Albert shouldn’t be too far if he hadn’t driven to work today, which indeed was the case, seeing how his car was half buried in snow. It required extra efforts to scurry along the slippery, icy sidewalk, especially on her slippers (she hadn’t had time to put on her boots when she had exited the apartment), but if she kept her pace, she might be able to catch up with him. Sure enough, as she rounded a corner, she spotted the familiar shade of blond tufts bobbing a distance away, but what she saw next brought her step to a skidding halt, her smile gone in an instant.

The tall, blond man standing several feet in front of her was undoubtedly Albert, and he was smiling—but not at her. There was someone else with him, someone she didn’t recognize—a woman, a beautiful and refined looking woman, dressed in an impeccable suit assemble. From the way Albert and the woman were conversing with each other, the way they were addressing each other with cordial smiles, Candy could tell they were not mere casual acquaintances exchanging morning greetings.

Her fingers curled, bunching the scarf inside her fists. Who was that woman? How long had he known her? Was she his—

A twinge of pain pierced through her, and Candy wrenched her gaze away from Albert and the unknown woman and bolted in the opposite direction, heading back to the apartment.

Here she was thinking Albert had not taken fancy in other women, just because she had never seen him with one. Well, that obviously couldn’t be further from the truth. How naive was she? Albert could very well already have someone special—she just didn’t know it. And last night… What had she done? She had kissed him. Now she knew why he had become detached. Having regained his sobriety, he must have been aghast with what had happened between them, regretting every moment of it. True, he had kissed her back, but that didn’t mean a thing. As she had already established from her reflection last night, he probably hadn’t intended to kiss her, but somehow with his conscience crippled by the alcohol, he had been caught up in the moment.

The thought that she had kissed a man who possibly was involved in a relationship with another woman made her feel sick to the stomach.

The kiss had been a mistake…

Of course, it was a mistake—she knew that. It should’ve never happened in the first place, and it wouldn’t if she hadn’t let thoughts of him reside in her mind for way too long.

Now she just had to laugh it off as though it was a bad joke and then forget all about it. Yeah… That was it. A simple solution that would revert the situation to how it had been before the kiss, returning to the time when there had been no awkwardness and tension looming over them.

Right.. But why didn’t she feel the least bit happy with that resolution? Wasn’t this the right thing to do?

****************

When Tina woke up, nothing felt right to her. She couldn't tell how long she had been sleeping, but she knew she hadn't been sleeping in her own bed. The mattress was too firm, poking into her back, her throat parched, her head pounding as though there was a giant hammer persistently banging at her skull. Yet despite the desperate outcry of her body, begging her to close her eyes and return to sleep, she hoisted herself up to sit on the bed and propped her back against the sturdy wooden headboard. As her gaze swept the perimeter of the scarcely furnished room, from one end of the wall where sunlight filtered through a pair of fully drawn curtains to the other where it was left barren, one thing became clear—she wasn't in Gregory's luxurious private chamber either. She had no idea where she was, but the subtle scent permeating the air was unmistakably masculine.

Tendrils of dread crept in at the inkling of possibility that she could be a victim of a devious crime. Inhaling deeply, Tina grasped at the hem of the blanket that had slid down to her waist and tossed it off to the side. A relieved sigh broke through her chapped lips when she noted her clothes were intact, sans her coat, and there were no signs of tears and rips. At least, whoever had brought her here hadn’t taken advantage of her.

Then a familiar face of a man with dark eyes and dark mustache, unbidden and unexpected, sprung up in her mind.

What had happened last night?

Through the thick haze clouding her mind, Tina vaguely remembered sitting on a tall stool at the bar, waiting for Gregory only to be approached by two immaculately dressed gentlemen whose names she couldn’t recall. They had offered to buy her more drinks but she had declined. Following that, the details were fragments of flitting images and jumbled voices. How many glasses of wine had she consumed last night? It must have been way past her alcohol tolerance level for her to have no recollection of what had happened. And why did she even think of Candy’s uncle's personal assistant, someone she had met only twice? Where was Gregory?

Only then a string of scenes from last night that had occurred hours prior to her liberal consumption of alcohol floated to her mind.

Gregory Barnes. That bastard was actually a married man.

Overwhelmed by sudden ire and shame, Tina propelled herself onto her feet and retrieved her coat and purse from the desk across the bed, clutching them against her side under her arm. As she made her way to the door, the floor beneath her rocked back and forth, as if it was floating on water, causing her to stumble along the way. Amazingly, she could exit the room without hurting herself.

But the second she caught sight of the man donning a white crisp shirt sitting on a chair while holding a steaming cup in his hand, she froze, the sweet, soothing aroma of freshly brewed tea wafting into her nose.

The man was without a doubt George Johnson. How could she end up in what appeared to be his place was beyond her. She must have done something awful, really awful, something probably better left unsaid. The quicker she could leave the place the better it would be. Without saying anything, Tina hastened her steps, heading for the main door, pretending she hadn’t seen the man whose dark eyes had trailed her every move since she had stepped out of the bedroom.

The shrill ding of a porcelain cup hitting the saucer made her flinch, but Tina didn’t let that detract her focus from the door.

“Where are you going?” George asked in a calm voice, as though they were old colleagues engaging in an idle chatter. “You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in your current condition. I suggest you return to the bedroom and lie down.”

“I _deeply_ appreciate the suggestion, but I’m going home,” Tina bit out, hand grabbing at the door handle with urgent swiftness. But her movement of opening the door halted as she swayed side-to-side, her vision dissolving into black haze. She fumbled to regain balance, swiftly planting both hands onto the door. Her coat and purse dropped to the floor.

Squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips tight, Tina attempted to push down the sudden rush of bile rising in her throat while a wave of intense pulsing rammed her head. George’s voice sounded distant, echoing against her ears. “I would’ve taken you to your home last night. But with the blizzard and having no knowledge of your residence, I was left with no choice and took you here instead.”

It felt like an eternity, when in reality only less than a minute had passed, before everything around her finally stopped spinning and the strong urge to vomit abated into a bothersome nausea. Tina stooped down and collected her purse but left the coat crumpled on the floor. Fingers gripping at the front flap of the purse, she swung it up to open the purse and thrust one hand inside.

Then as she poked and prodded inside her bag, rummaging for the one item that could provide her relief for the acerbic taste in her mouth, she heard George say, “If you’re searching for a cigarette, you can forget about that. You won’t find any. I threw them away.”

Tina’s eyes, widening with disbelief, darted to George, and she swiftly turned her purse upside down, shaking all the contents to spill out into a cascading free fall onto the hard floor with reverberating clatter. “Bloody-hell! You chucked off the whole carton and my matches too! What the hell is your problem?” Tina threw her purse on the floor and shot George a scathing glare in undisguised ire. “Buzz off, will you? Why don’t you go back to attending to your precious little Miss Candice and Master William and leave me the hell alone!”

Brushing aside Tina’s angry tirade, George approached her and stretched his arm out toward her, offering a glass of water.

At first, Tina only glared at the glass, not intending to take it. But the awful mixture of bitter and sour in her tongue became more and more unbearable with each passing second, and the next thing she knew, she had snatched the glass from his hand. Then she took a quick swig to rinse the horribly, sickening taste from her mouth. As much as she wanted to leave the place, she admitted George was right—in her current condition, she wouldn’t be able to go very far, let alone making it all the way back to the Barlow’s Manor. Heaving a sigh in defeat, she trudged toward the small sofa in the center of the room and slumped into it, putting the glass down on the coffee table in front of her. The soft cushion felt more comfortable compared to the solid mattress that had turned her back stiff.

“I’ll leave this here,” George said as he placed several packets of medicine on the small side table next to the sofa. “It should help alleviate the headache.”

If Tina were in a fair mood, she would have immediately thanked George for the kind gesture. But she wasn’t—she was in a foul mood and wanted nothing to do with anyone. Besides, with the details of what had happened last night still a giant black dot in her memory, she was still skeptical about his motive for taking her to his apartment in the first place. “Why are you doing this, George?” Tina demanded, watching him intently as he sauntered toward the kitchen and gathered the matching pair of cup and saucer from the table. “I don’t need you to chaperon me on Candy’s behalf. Don’t worry, I’m not going to taint your precious little Candy, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

George kept his back to her and mutely moved to stand in front of the sink, a vibrant tinkle of the porcelain wares striking the hard surface of the sink reverberating around the room. “Miss Tina you clearly have serious problems, and you need to deal with them in the most appropriate way. Taking the destructive pathway, smoking and drinking, would not solve anything.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Tina sneered. George’s words, in spite of the elements of truth contained in them, unexpectedly hurt her. “You think I’m actually a _floozie_?”

George pivoted to face her. “I’m sorry if that was a false impression. So far that’s what I’ve observed of you,” he uttered with a hint of remorse in his voice; his expression though betrayed nothing.

“Well, you’re completely mistaken,” Tina averred, pinning George with an exasperated glare as she braved another wave of pain that spread across her temple. “Why would you care anyway? Who are you to me? You’re not my parents. If this is because of Candy—”

“It’s not,” George curtly supplied.

Tina stared at George, mouth agape, her anger forgotten. That wasn’t the answer she had expected. She had thought George would give a lecture at length on how her immoral behavior could corrupt Candy and request to keep her distance from her friend.

When she noticed George rounded the dining table in the middle of the kitchen, reaching for the black suit jacket draping over the back of a chair, she instinctively asked, “Are you going somewhere, George?”

“I’m going to work.”

As Tina was about to inquire if she should leave as well, her gaze fell on the only item on top of the console table that stood against the wall across from her. It was an ornate wooden box with a distinct insignia engraved atop the lid. She knew she had seen the insignia before. Scouring the deep well of her memory, she rose from her seat and walked to the cabinet, her index finger tracing the intricate letter ‘A’ of the insignia. “The crest… I swear I know which family this belongs to. I think I might have seen it when I was in London.”

“It’s the Andrews’ family crest,” George spoke all of a sudden, delivering the answer to her.

Tina whipped her head to George. Even with her mind still foggy, she recognized the name. How could she not? Her sister was betrothed to one—not that she actually cared about _that_ particular detail, but her mother and Cassandra had nearly driven her insane with their incessant rambling about it. If she was not mistaken, Claude had mentioned in one of his letters that the wedding might take place this year or next year. She pitied the man who was lucky enough to be engaged to her whiny sister.

“You don’t happen to work for the Andrews, do you George?”

“Yes, I do,” came George’s affirmative reply.

“Is that right?” Tina wasn’t surprised—the moment George had uttered the name, she had expected it. Rather it was the sudden revelation of something else that stumped her. “If you work for the Andrews… Then Candy… Is she also an Andrew?”

“That is correct.”

Candy was an Andrew… There it was as plain and clear as the message printed on the giant billboard. As she had expected, Candy belonged to an elite family—though she just hadn't expected her family would be _that_ famous.

Tina couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Apparently, she and Candy were more similar than she had originally thought, and that made her wonder of what other things they could possibly have in common. She had not had the privilege to interact directly with any of the Andrews, unlike her two siblings, who had attended various functions hosted by them. But she was certain none of the Andrews had taken a modest profession working in a dilapidated clinic. Was Candy a runaway too, like her?

“Then why is she working as a nurse in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Chicago? Shouldn’t she live comfortably in the mansion with the other family members?”

George let out a long sigh. “Miss Candice was adopted into the family several years ago, but she has explicitly expressed her desire to live on her own.”

“Adopted?” Now the pieces slowly came together. “So her Uncle William—”

“Is her legal guardian,” George finished for her tersely after which he immediately added, “Miss Tina, may I ask you something? Last night, you mentioned you come from a well respected family yourself. May I know what is it?”

Tina flinched. This was the first time George had said anything about last night, which was still a big fuzzy ball in her memory. “Did I?” A dubious chuckle escaped her lips. “I didn’t remember—but I suppose there’s no harm in disclosing this particular detail to you, George.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. “Rosenthal. My surname is Rosenthal.” Her voice lacked the pride that usually came with the name.

George appeared visibly stricken. A look of utter wonderment shielded his face for a moment before it disintegrated back into his usual impervious veneer.

A smirk formed along Tina’s lips. “It’s clear you’ve heard the name before, George.”

George’s gaze never wavered from Tina as he took slow steps, advancing in her direction. “Are you not aware that the Andrews and Rosenthals have been working closely together for more than fifty years? The Rosenthals are one of our most trusted partners.” George halted his step a few feet away from the chair.

“Frankly, I don’t concern myself with matters pertaining to family business.” Tina sneered. “They don’t interest me in the least.”

George remained quiet, seemingly contemplating about something as the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. “Are your family well informed of your whereabouts? Do they have knowledge that you’re in Chicago?” he asked a moment later.

“You see, George. I’ve not returned to my parents home in Boston since they sent me to London many years ago. And not even once have they summoned a search party to look for me,” Tina scoffed, fighting the feeling of abandonment that threatened to drag her down. “That’s perfectly fine with me. I’m quite content with my life. While I was in London, I’ve learned to live independently and found it to be rather fulfilling. I’ve even dropped my surname and changed it to a less conspicuous one.” Tina paused. Feeling a painful throbbing inside her head, she tottered toward the leather wingback chair next to the console and sat down. Perhaps she should go lie down as George suggested.

“But if you must know,” Tina continued with a slight sigh, “my brother Claude has never lost track of me. He knows I’m in Chicago now, and I’m fine with that as long as he doesn’t interfere with what I do.”

George stared at her, his mouth a straight line below the dark canopy of mustache, but Tina swore she discerned something akin to amusement in his expression. “What? Do you want to say something, George?”

“You remind me of someone I know.”

“Who?”

The twitch around the edges of George’s lips, however subtle it was, wasn’t missed by Tina.

“My employer,” George replied and then strode to the tall coat rack by the door to retrieve his coat. “It seems your condition has improved—that’s good. I have to go now. You can stay as long as you want. When you leave, just slip the key back through the mail slot in the door. And if you’re hungry you can find some bread and jelly in the cupboard.”

“George—”

George swiveled his head over his shoulder to face her, his hand grasping the door handle.

“Thank you… “ Tina smiled. “Not just for today. Also for the other day. I have a job now because of you. Thank you…”

“You’re very welcome, Miss Tina. I’m glad I could be of assistance somehow.” George’s gaze drifted toward the floor. “One last thing—you may want to put on your shoes first before you walk out of the apartment. Good day, Miss Tina.” George nodded slightly and walked out of the door.

Confused, Tina lowered her head, staring at her stocking-clad, shoeless feet. She burst into laughter. It seemed the effect of the alcohol was still as potent as ever. She hadn’t realized she had been barefoot all this time.

****************

With guilt gnawing fiercely at her mind for having been deliberately evading Albert when he had explicitly expressed his wish to have a talk with her, Candy bit her lips. In her defense, she contended she really did want to talk with him. She really did—but not tonight.

Since this morning and throughout the day, she had found herself unable to concentrate on any task assigned to her. Dr Martin’s bellow had stopped her short of committing a careless error in more than one occasion, and when she had broken three bottles of antiseptic in a span of less than an hour, he had sent her straight to the supply room for a quick break, which she had gladly accepted. But that turned out to be another bad idea. Every idle moment was an opportunity for her wayward mind to wander off. She couldn’t stop thinking about the impending encounter with Albert and what would happen afterward. Her mind conjured one scenario after another, each thought sinking her deeper in the sea of doubts, that by the time she had stepped inside the apartment she was stripped bare of courage.

For that exact reason, she had ambled out of the apartment without a clear destination in mind only a few minutes after. A note hastily written on a piece of scrap paper torn from the wall calendar provided the only explanation of why she was nowhere in sight when Albert had specifically told her that he would be expecting her.

It was a terrible thing to do, but she couldn’t help it. Even though the intention was there, courage was sorely missing. So what had she done? Not knowing where else she should go, she had ended up boarding the train to Libertyville.

Tina had been on her way out of the mansion to go somewhere when she had arrived. Tina hadn’t expected to see her but hadn’t bothered to demand an explanation as she seemed to be in a hurry. With Tina gone, she was left in the company of Sharon, who had invited her to come along to have dinner in an establishment that couldn’t really be called a restaurant with the imposed minimum age—but it wasn’t a bar or a saloon either, for the decor and setting were too lavish to be such a place. The food served there was surprisingly delicious, and Sharon had introduced her to her friends, a group of two women and three men. They were all quite friendly to her, especially a certain dark haired gentleman by the name of Robert Hawkins, a future doctor currently pursuing his medical degree at the University of Chicago. If it hadn’t been for the persistent fog from the cigarettes smoke saturating the air with pungent, toxic odor that had caused her to sputter in fits of cough almost for the whole time she had been there, she would have enjoyed her time more. In spite of that, everything considered, she had had a fairly decent time, and being surrounded by people and the merriment had granted her a moment of reprieve, for during that time she had managed to pretend all was well and forget about the current predicament she had with Albert.

But now that she was back at the apartment, Candy felt worse than she had ever been, like a criminal ushered into the court room, awaiting to be sentenced.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t—not anymore. Her feelings toward Albert had changed. This could be something fleeting that would fade overtime, something akin to an infatuation, as she had projected her ardent admiration and adoration for Ian McHenry, the fictitious hero in Tina’s story, onto Albert. But so far her attempt to brush aside the nervousness evoked when she was near him as nothing but a transient reaction incited by Tina’s story hadn’t been successful, even after she had ceased re-reading the story and forbidden herself from rehashing it. Although her mind was occupied with less and less of Ian McHenry, she found herself thinking about Albert more and more.

Albert would laugh and shake his head in amusement if he ever found out about her infatuation. Patting her head gently, as he had done in the morning, or tapping at the tip of her nose, he would comment she was just being silly. Evidently, that was how he had always treated her, like his cute little sister, nothing more. Not that she had ever complained about it. She had actually thought it was rather endearing and comforting to have someone she could rely on, someone she could count on, someone who would be there to protect her. But recently, it wasn’t as endearing anymore, and Candy resolved being Albert’s little sister was not really what she desired after all.

Then there was the kiss that had thrown her world out of its spinning axis.

Totally unexpected albeit not unwelcome, the kiss had undermined any notion of fraternal feeling she thought Albert had harbored for her. Surely, it was nothing like her first kiss with Terry. While she had not expected either Albert or Terry to kiss her, she had not reciprocated Terry, yet with Albert she had, eagerly so. But everything that had ensued after the kiss, compounded by Albert’s aloofness had led her to believe that the kiss was nothing more than an impulse born out of a drunken stupor. This morning when Albert had seemed to return to his normal self and indicated his desire to talk to her, she couldn’t lie she had allowed a sprinkle of joy to slip in. It hadn't lingered though, as it had been blown off only minutes later when she had seen him conversing rather intimately with a woman.

Being infatuated with someone she had claimed to be her friend for most of her life was one thing. Kissing a man who belonged to another woman, however, was an entirely different thing, and it appalled her to no end. She wanted to curse the kiss and wished it hadn’t happened—but she couldn’t, not when every cell in her body yearned for more.

Never had she felt so torn as she was now. A part of her wanted to run to him and kiss him until everything around them disappeared while the rest just wanted to languish in a dark little corner.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling as slowly as she could, Candy steeled herself and opened the door gingerly. The shrill creaking sound from the door nearly made her jump. But when she noted how dark and quiet it was inside the apartment, she relaxed. Flinging the door to open wider, she crossed the threshold and pushed the door close at once.

Streams of pale moonlight pouring from the window illuminated the table and two unoccupied chairs in the middle of the modest living room. The note she had left atop the table was no longer there. She figured Albert must have gone to sleep already, which was a good thing, as she didn’t want to face him yet.

As Candy began to unbutton her coat, her fingers suddenly stilled. She thought she had just heard something that sounded like water, like steady drizzle falling and pelting at the ground. But it wasn’t raining outside. Straining her ears, she attempted to capture the subtlest sound, and then there it was—she heard it again. It was faint, almost inaudible, but she was sure she had heard it. Her feet began to move as if guided by an unknown force, tentatively at first then becoming more determined, leading her toward the bathroom from where the sound seemed to originate. She surmised the faucet must have not been properly shut off somehow. Or it could be Pouppe. She had caught the skunk drinking water from the tub left on the floor by the sink. She paused in front of the door, only allowing herself a brief glance at the closed door before grasping the metal knob in her hand and turning it slowly. The knob twisted with ease, and she gave it a gentle push. The door swung open, revealing the tile wall bit by bit, and the trickling sound became more pronounced and crisper. She took a step forward and froze, breath hitched, eyes wide.

Had _Adonis_ descended from his celestial palace and had somehow materialized in front of her?

There, facing the opposite end of the wall, bathed in the soft gleam of slanted light passing through the frosted window, stood a magnificent creature. His head tipped far back, as though he was peering up at the ceiling, shimmering wet golden tendrils reaching down to the hollow between his shoulders. One hand squeezed a sponge hanging above his head. Cascading streams of water seeped into wavy golden strands and flowed in silver rivulets along glistening broad back, sweeping the graceful arch of a spine, dipping farther below to the gentle slopes at the hip before disappearing into the dark narrow trench flanked by mounds of firm flesh. The other hand glided leisurely on one side, over the length of the torso, traveling from under the arm down to beneath the waist to the slight swell of muscle at the thigh.

Candy licked her lips. A jolt of desire she never thought she possessed shot through her, causing her bosom to engorge painfully, squeezing the turgid tips against her blouse that suddenly felt a size too small for her. Her hips bucked, a tightening sensation crawling around her pelvis down to the groin area, and there, somewhere buried deep in the apex, she felt something throb with discomforting insistence. All the stirring passages from Tina's story sparked to life. Yet it wasn’t an image of Annabelle and Ian McHenry that filled her mind. Rather it was of herself and Albert, of them tangled in a passionate kiss, as the one they had shared between them last night, but this time they both were completely in the nude.

The sheer awareness that she had let her thoughts run amok, wandering off in such a lewd fantasy, struck her like a violent bolt of lightning.

Indulging in a sensual fantasy over a fictitious man was fine for a short period of time. It made her feel the least bit of guilt. Now, however, the fictitious man had manifested into a man—a real man in the flesh and blood, and he was no other than her most amiable roommate, Albert. Not that she was repulsed by him. On the contrary, she was quite fond of him, as she had admitted to herself she was deeply infatuated with him. But the wanton desire she bore for him would only drown her in misery and grief, thrashing her against the ferocious wave of shame and guilt—she was sure of that.

Maybe a night of sleep would cleanse the image from her mind, and tomorrow, she would not remember a thing.

Alas, she knew that wasn’t true. She would never be able to erase the images that had been branded into her memory and burnt to the black space behind her eyelids.

Heart beating in furious pounding in her chest, Candy tucked her lips in and held her breath. Tearing her gaze from the enchanting sight before her, ever so slowly, with all the caution she could muster, she stepped back and pulled the door close, the trapped air in her lungs escaping through her nostrils. The door closed with a soft click, and she swerved to her side, moving toward the bedroom. But something in her path caused her to stumble and fall in an unceremonious heap on the floor, her yelp, an ear-splitting cacophony against the stillness of the night, reverberating across the room.

She whipped a hand over her mouth. Drat! This was not happening. Of all the times she could be clumsy, why had it to be now?

“Candy?!!!” Albert’s surprised voice rang from inside the bathroom.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she yelled in haste, chuckling through her grimace as she shifted position to sit on the floor. From the dull throbbing pain, she could tell that both of her knees would wear lovely bruises tomorrow. “I’ll just—”

The bathroom door flung open abruptly. Candy jumped in her seat, her heart rattling so violently she thought she was having a heart attack.

“Did you just get back?”

It took her a few seconds to realize Albert was asking her a question. “Yes… I mean, no—I was—” God what should she tell him so that he wouldn’t find out about her transgression of peeking him bathing? She tilted her head up toward him.

Big mistake.

Her mind went blank at the expanse of slick skin glistening in the dimmed light. Clad only in a towel wrapped around his hips with one hand gripping at the tucked edge to hold it in place, Albert towered over her, water dripping off his hair. Candy gulped and gulped and gulped. Although there was hardly any light in the room, her eyes could trace all the details that adorned his lean torso with great precision, every dip, bump, curve, and… scar. Yes, scar. There were a few of them, jagged lines stitched diagonally across the patch of smooth skin, collectively forming the badge of bravery. A waft of fear brushed past her, spreading chills over her back. If it hadn’t been for his valiant act, she probably wouldn’t have been here now. Albert had saved her life by jeopardizing his own, and the emblem on his chest was the permanent proof.

Candy drew in a soft sigh, momentarily forgetting where she was at the moment, her fingers itching to touch the scars, but she was immediately propelled back to the present when Albert grabbed her hand and coaxed her to stand.

They remained in silence with their gazes locked for what seemed like an eternity, and she thought she was about to faint from the mere heat radiating off his skin, or the invigorating masculine scent combined with the fresh smell of soap emanating from him, or both.

His eyes, appearing much darker than she had ever seen them, like the bottomless deep ocean, took her captive and reeled her in. Was it only in her imagination that the void space between them became narrower every time she blinked? And somehow, now, she could feel his breath mingle with hers, blowing hot air onto her already heated face. His hand slowly reached for her cheek. When his fingers were only a hair’s breadth away from touching her skin, a drop of cold water landed on her skin.

She flinched—and then fled.

At least that had been her intent before Albert slapped a secure grip around her wrist, seizing her in mid step.

“Are you afraid of me, Candy?”

Candy hung her head low and shook it weakly. Her pulse leaped into an excited quiver against the pad of his thumb as she staved off the fact that there was only a piece of towel concealing his body and that she had seen that very same body in its most natural form, bare from head to toe.

“Then why are you avoiding me?” The trace of hurt in Albert’s voice pricked at her, urging Candy to glance at him, but his pained imploring look made her swiftly lower her gaze, her fingers grazing the soft material of her coat and slowly folding into a half fist.

It wasn’t guilt or embarrassment or nervousness that bubbled in her chest—it was pure anger. Why was he doing this to her? He had no right to be upset. He had no right to question her. He had no right to toy with her. An angry remark of ‘why did you kiss me if you already have someone else!’ hung at the tip of her tongue but what rolled out of her mouth was nothing of that sort. “I’m not…” she breathed. “I’m just tired. Can we talk tomorrow instead?”

The fingers that clamped around her wrist loosened, taking away their warmth. “If that’s what you wish—”

“It is…” her voice sank into a whimper, an unspoken ‘please’ whistling through her gritted teeth. “Thank you, Albert. Goodnight.” She whipped her arm to the front, away from his reach, and resumed walking toward the bedroom.

Her steps heavy, her movement as stiff as a wooden stick, Candy entered the dark room, Albert’s somber murmur of goodnight brushing past her ears and trembling in the stagnant air. The door swung behind her, and she threw her back against it to push it close completely, letting gravity drag her body down to the floor. She pulled her bent knees to her chest and perched her chin atop, arms wrapping around her legs in a tight desperate clutch as her shoulders began to shudder with silent sobs. The dam was broken, and she couldn’t stop the trickle of tears from streaming down her face.

Her fate was sealed.

There was no use to deny it when she was powerless to fight it.

It wasn’t a passing infatuation—neither was it just a silly, girlish fantasy painted by her overactive imagination.

She had fallen in love with Albert, irrevocably and hopelessly so.

  **To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is super late in coming, but I hope you still find it to your liking.
> 
> So what do you think?  
> It's another long chapter. I suppose, from what most of you told me so far, the length won't bother you.  
> Going forward, since the update will not be as frequent as in the beginning, I'll try to make the chapter long to compensate for that.
> 
> Lastly, I have a new beta, and she's amazing. And I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you, Miss EN :)
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


	10. Chapter 10

A slight tug at her shoulder and back and another one around her legs, and then it felt as though she was scooped into a pair of strong arms.

What was going on?

Candy opened her eyes, but her eyelids, heavy as though it was welded into cast iron, refused to lift all the way, leaving her sight hooded as the elegant curve of a masculine jaw gradually came to focus.

“Albert…” Candy mumbled, snuggling into his chest, seeking to bury herself in the comforting warmth only he could provide, her arms wrapping around him.

This must be a dream...

Albert’s eyes met hers as he straightened to his height. “You were sleeping on the floor. I’m moving you to the bed.”

Candy pressed her nose into Albert’s neck and breathed deeply, immersing her senses in the clean, fresh scent—a familiar scent that evoked a sultry image of him, naked and wet, under the trickling of water and a myriad of wonderful sensations.

Had this been real, she would have never allowed herself to do what she was doing. But since this was a dream, her dream, she was free to do anything she wanted, including throwing propriety out the window.

Candy felt Albert tense against her, the muscles around his shoulders taut under her palms. “You smell good,” she murmured against his neck and let her slightly parted lips skim over his skin, a skin that was unbelievably smooth and delightfully warm against her lips.

But other than an indistinct rumbling deep in his throat, Albert was quiet. He didn’t say a word to convey to her that he didn’t like what she was doing, and neither did he do anything to try to stop her. So she continued nuzzling him until she was forced to withdraw her lips from his neck when she felt the mattress bowing beneath her.

“Are you going to release me?” Albert asked with a nervous twitch at the one corner of his lips as he bent forward awkwardly over her. She indeed had kept her arms looping around his neck in a secure hold while his were no longer around her.

Candy’s lips pursed in a sullen pout. “Are you going to disappear if I let you go?”

Albert propped one hand on the frame of the bed, his other hand reaching for hers that was on his nape. “Umm… Once I take off your boots, I’ll go to the living room,” he replied, attempting to pry her hand off his neck.

“Is there where you slept last night?” Candy twined her fingers into a tight clasp behind Albert’s neck to fasten her hold. His hand stopped its movement, and he eventually withdrew it.

Albert sighed aloud, averting his gaze from her, his mouth set in a straight line. “Yes…”

“Why?”

His eyes held hers in an intense gaze before he abruptly dissolved it with a smile, his fingers dancing lightly along the side of her temple, brushing unruly curls aside. “Go to sleep, Candy. We can talk more tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed her temple.

A wave of guilt washed over her. “I’m sorry… I really did want to talk to you earlier. Really. But it’s just—I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just really hard. I—”

A gentle press of his fingertips on her lips silenced her instantly.

“It’s fine… You can tell me whenever you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

Candy felt the tightness around her chest from joy surging in her heart. Albert had just uttered the words she had wished to hear for as long as she could remember—that he wouldn’t leave her. The surge of happiness was so powerful that she was unable to contain it. She opened her mouth to tell him how much his assurance meant to her, how much she valued it, but her voice wouldn’t flow, lodged inside her constricted throat. Not knowing what else she could do, she pulled him down to her with one forceful yank.

Albert lost his balance, and would’ve fallen on top of her if he hadn’t slammed his hands onto the mattress on either side of her head to support his weight, hovering mere inches above her. “Candy, we shouldn’t—” he blurted out. A few pants escaped his mouth before it slid close, the Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his throat as he swallowed.

God... She liked seeing him like this. He was nervous—she could tell— a rare sight, for he always seemed poised and calm, in control of his emotions, even in her dreams. She knew it was because of her, because of what she was doing to him. To know she possessed this much power over him made her think of the other naughty things detailed in Tina’s book that she could do to him— _those_ she would save for other times in her future dreams. For now, this dream was already ten times better than all of her old ones combined.

Part of her wished for it to be real, but she knew it wasn’t. A dream would forever remain a dream, and like any other dream, this one would end too. Still, this was _her_ dream, and because of that she could at least ensure it would end in the way she wanted.

Dismissing the look of utter bewilderment on Albert’s face, Candy smiled impishly, her fingers sinking into his hair and raking through the wavy strands. She marveled at how silky soft they felt beneath her fingertips. Her gaze drifted lower, and she found herself staring at his lips as they parted, blowing warm breath onto her face. Her hands moved to his face, and with a gentle tug, she coaxed him to bring his head lower toward her. “Goodnight…” she whispered, touching her lips to his in the ghost of a kiss before retracting her arms and resting them on the mattress, her eyelids drooping to a close as she sensed him shift over her in retreat.

“Goodnight, Candy…” Albert replied in a hoarse murmur a moment later, his lips lingering on her forehead for a brief period.

As Candy slowly drifted off, flying away to another enchanting realm in her dream, she vaguely heard a soothing timbre humming a hauntingly beautiful tune.

Her lips curved in a serene smile. This was possibly the best dream ever.

*********ccccccc*********

The sun had arisen from its slumber, singing bright promises of a new day to the earth and its inhabitants, when Candy stirred from her sleep. The instant her eyes flicked open, a smile materialized along her lips. It had been a long while since she had woken up with a silly grin on her face, feeling unusually in good spirits and brimming with positive energy. Her dream last night must have been amazing. Had she dreamed about Albert again? Most likely she had—it had been like that for the past few days. He had appeared in nearly all of her dreams.

Releasing a loud, big yawn, she stretched her arms out far to the sides and snapped her gaze up, but instead of a grayish white ceiling, it was a dark wooden panel that stared back at her. The realization slapped her at once, and she swiftly propelled herself to sit up on the bed. How had she ended up in Albert’s bed? She looked down at her self, at what she was wearing—the same attire that had clung to her body all day yesterday was still there, her work dress peeking beneath the winter jacket. Her eyes darted to the floor, and she caught a glimpse of her boots next to the bed.

As the fog of drowsiness slowly dispersed, allowing fragments of images to flit in her mind, she began to recollect what had happened last night up to the time when she had cried inside the room.

After that, she must have fallen asleep on the floor somehow, and Albert must have found her because she remembered waking up in his arms…

Like having a bucket full of freezing water doused over her head, the awareness sprang to her, and everything came pouring back to her in a torrential rush.

With a chagrined whimper, she buried her face in her hands.

Good gracious… It wasn’t a dream, was it? She had really kissed Albert again, and that wasn’t the only thing. Worse, she had acted so out of character, so unbecoming, so bold—she had _really_ seduced him this time. And this was after the promise she had made to herself never to touch him again. How could she face him now? What should she tell him if he asked?

Despite how attentive and caring Albert was and, to an extent, receptive to the brazen advances she had unwittingly made toward him last night, he hadn’t responded—he hadn’t kissed her back as he had done that night after Archie’s party. Because of that, she couldn’t shake the thought that all his actions were merely driven by his good intentions as a friend to her and not of something more.

Candy bit her lip hard, grabbing fists full of blanket. Maybe she could pretend nothing had happened. Maybe if she acted normal, it would give the impression that everything had been a dream. Yes, that was what she should do. She would conduct herself like she normally would any other morning, then maybe Albert would dismiss her behavior from last night as another vagary of hers.

Feeling certain the decision she had made was the best, especially if she wanted to avoid any awkward situation between them, she whipped the blanket aside, jumped out of the bed, and went to the wardrobe to grab some clothes. There wasn’t much time to pick and choose, so she settled on a dress at the top of the pile, which turned out to be one of her favorites, a red-checkered dress with a bow at the back. She cradled it to her chest, along with her other articles of clothing, and approached the door. Fingers enclosing the knob in a firm grip, she took a deep breath and cracked the door open gingerly. Then with the nimbleness of a cat, she slipped out and spun toward the bathroom.

“Good morning…”

Candy’s heart somersaulted inside her chest. Drat! She had been caught.

Candy turned around slowly, head dipped low to her chin. “Morning,” she greeted through a diffident smile. So much for acting normal.

Albert only stared at her, holding a steaming mug close to his mouth. There was a mixture of indescribable expressions playing on his face that made her recall a certain incident in the bathroom last night, and the image of a glistening naked body flashing in her mind made her cheeks hot in an instant. “Um… I—I’m going to get ready for work.” she gestured, pointing at the bathroom with her index finger, her smile waning. Then, as though a bolt of lightning struck her, she dashed to the bathroom and flung the door close behind her.

Once in there, it took Candy a total of three minutes to change into a fresh set of working clothes and finish her morning routine. After retrieving her boots from the bedroom, she strode past the table toward the door and stooped down to put on her boots. “I don’t have time to eat breakfast today,” she told Albert, focusing her attention on tying the strings on her boot. “I’ll just take some bread with me. I need to be at work early.”

It wasn’t a lie. She really did need to be at the clinic earlier than usual to compensate for all the mistakes she had committed yesterday when her mind had been miles away, occupied by a certain blond roommate of hers. Dr. Martin hadn’t been very amused with her scatterbrained performance, and she would rather not upset him again today, if she didn’t want to lose her job. Not that she thought Dr. Martin would actually fire her from work.

“I can drive you to Dr. Martin’s Clinic, if you want. That way you don’t need to skip breakfast.”

“Huh?” Candy jerked her head up to look at Albert as he stepped to stand next to her.

“So? Would you like me to give you a ride to work?” Albert cocked his head, eyebrows arched high in expectation.

Even though she was reluctant to spend time with him, fearing he would somehow inquire her about last night or the night before or about many other things she herself didn’t know what the answers were, it would be downright rude and ungrateful of her to refuse his kind offer. Besides it was a short drive, ten minutes at most.

Candy tugged at the strings on her other boot to secure the loop and stood up. “That would be great—thank you.” Her lips curved up in gratitude.

“You’re welcome,” Albert returned her smile with a tender one of his that sent her heartbeat to go amiss, skipping two full beats in a row.

Her gaze followed his movement as his hand reached for the jacket from the hook on the wall before it abruptly veered off to the side and affixed to a familiar item hanging loose against the wall. Her smile vanished instantly when the image of Albert exchanging smiles with a woman flashed in her mind. She was reminded of the reason why she should never let hope flourish: there was a shadow of another woman lurking.

“But are you sure that would be okay? I mean don’t you have to meet someone? A friend of yours or a colleague from work perhaps?” Candy gritted her teeth to contain a frustrated sigh. Why couldn’t she just ask him a straightforward question?

A confused frown gathered over his brows. “Ummm… No. I don’t think so,” Albert replied, his blue eyes searching hers.

Unnerved by his sudden scrutiny, Candy threw him a wry smile and sauntered to the table. “That’s good then. I just want to make sure.” Her gaze fell on the delicious breakfast spread Albert had prepared for her, and she smiled wistfully to herself, wishing they could go back to the past, to those days of playful banter and hearty laughter when she had nothing to hide from him. For how much longer could she tolerate this barrage of oppressive feelings of uneasiness, restlessness, and everything else that should’ve been reserved only for a stranger, not to someone as dear to her like Albert? She sighed and reached for her mug. “Is it okay if we leave right away? I can eat the bread in the car.”

“That’s fine,” came Albert’s answer a moment later as she sipped from her mug slowly, relieved he hadn’t tried to persuade her.

Outside, what appeared to be a picture perfect day full of sunshine with cloudless blue sky and calm, steady breeze from the lake had begun to develop. The temperature had risen by more than twenty degrees compared to the previous day, bringing it to approach the fifty-degree mark. Most of the snow dumped by the passing blizzard from two days ago had melted, only scraps of solidified snow in areas obstructed from the path of direct sunlight remaining. At last, after a two-week delay, spring had finally arrived in Chicago.

Weather, however, was the last thing in Candy’s mind as she sat in Albert’s car, not heeding the scenery of buildings, trees, and people sliding across her gaze. The constant howling of the wind and the whimsical wheezing and whirring of the car engine had accompanied her into the short journey to the clinic so far, as Albert had kept quiet and seemed to have been focusing in his task of driving the car. Although Candy hadn’t said anything either since she had stepped out of the apartment, eating the bread gripped in her hand, chewing one tiny bite at a time, Albert's silence perturbed her, wracking her with a jumble of conflicting emotions. Yes, she was relieved he hadn’t bluntly confronted her about last night, but there was a small part of her that wished he would at least say something about it.

What a terrible mess she was in! She felt like a rope in the middle of a tug of war, being pulled to opposite directions. She couldn’t tell what she was feeling anymore, couldn't tell what she really wanted. If only she could be more honest with herself, with Albert…

“Candy…”

“Eh?” Candy whipped her head in the direction of the voice. Then as if there were a magnetic force pulling it, her gaze dropped to the exposed pale skin below Albert’s chin. Underneath his leather jacket, Albert wore a long sleeved black shirt with the top three buttons undone, giving ample view of a slender yet sturdy column of a neck and a pair of protruding lines of collarbones, strands of gleaming blond hair fluttering about at the nape area. Candy flinched as she realized she had been staring at Albert’s neck for a prolonged period. She didn’t know where the sudden fascination over his neck came from—she wasn’t a vampire, for goodness sake!

But she couldn’t deny his neck looked incredibly appealing, and she recalled the wonderful feeling aroused in her when she had nuzzled it, her lips grazing the smooth skin, her nose greedily inhaling the alluring masculine aroma that was distinctly his. Now she wished she could just bury her face in his neck and plant her lips at the juncture that connected it to the shoulder. What kind of reaction could she elicit from him if she ran her tongue over his skin and nibbled at it lightly? It wasn’t something she would consider a normal thing to do to anyone by any standard, but Tina’s book had certainly liberated her from her conventional way of thinking, bestowing her with bold curiosity that begged to be satisfied and enticing her to venture into uncharted territories of carnal pleasure.

“Are you going to finish your bread?” Albert asked without looking at her, arms slightly stretched to the front, hands gripping the steering wheel.

Candy flicked her gaze down to the partially eaten bread in her hand, and then up to Albert’s face.

The answer came to her at once—he knew!

Mortified, she whirled her head to the opposite direction and took one large bite out of the bread, her face scorching. If she could chant a magic word and vanish in an instant, she would. She couldn’t believe the treacherous course her runaway thoughts had taken. How could she be entertaining such a vulgar thought about Albert, which wasn’t something she had imagined herself doing to any man, ever? And Albert, even though he might appear indifferent with his undivided attention directed to the road ahead, the near imperceptible indentation at the corner of his mouth told her otherwise—he knew she had been ogling him, ogling his neck in particular, and she could only imagine what he was thinking. She was thankful he had been nice enough to refrain from teasing her about it—but that didn’t make her feel any better.

She reclined into the back of the seat and scoffed at herself inwardly. Acting normal? Easier said than done. To accomplish such a feat would be short of a miracle. She should just forgo her plan to act normal around him after having failed miserably from the very first try. They were no longer the same persons—clearly, she wasn’t. She had tried to pretend they were, but that hadn’t worked at all. Everything had changed. She couldn’t look at him without thinking about the kisses or how much she longed for another one. Then there was the fact that she had chanced upon seeing a lot of him, a _whole_ lot of him, the sides of him that were normally hidden from plain view, the glorious parts of male body she had never seen before.

And what a marvelous sight it was!

“Candy—are you okay? Your face is all red. Is it the sun?”

“Wh—I’m…Ugh…I—”

Candy clamped her mouth shut to cease the sputter of gibberish when she saw Albert begin to chuckle out of the corner of her eye, no doubt at her. “Although I must say that red suits you rather well.” He threw a swift glance over his shoulder and winked. “You look adorable.”

Feeling the scorch on her cheeks intensifying, Candy knew her face must have looked like a ripened tomato by now. “You really like to tease me, don’t you?” she muttered, sinking her teeth into the bread and tearing at it with a little too much zeal, as if she were eating a piece of steak, while she berated herself inwardly for allowing her mind to roam free, yet again. It was inconceivable how she had pictured him naked in broad daylight, with him right next to her no less.

Albert patted the back of her hand, casting her a rueful smile, his blue eyes, devoid of the tinted sunglasses that usually shielded their brilliance, gleaming in the morning sun. “I’m sorry… I was only half teasing you though—I actually meant it when I said you looked adorable. You do. With red face or not.”

Despite the weight of guilt and shame pressing down on her, it was impossible for her not to smile at his flattering remark, especially when there was a touch of sincerity in it. This man sitting next to her, he could be so effortlessly charming it was a wonder how could she have not noticed this fascinating attribute of his from a while ago? Of course she had. It was one of the many reasons that had drawn her to him in the first place. The difference was in all those times she had seen him as a friend, a brother figure perhaps, but never a desirable man with whom she wished to spend the rest of her life as she saw him now.

Albert’s smile widened and stretched into an open mouthed grin, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. “Ahhh… I finally got you to smile. Do you know how much I love your smile? It must have some magical power or something like that. Because whenever I see you smile, I just have to smile also.”

By this time, Candy had to tug her bottom lip in with her teeth to contain the bubble of glee in her chest from rising and escaping out of her throat. How could he do it? Earlier she had been ready to disappear into thin air, and now she just wanted to hurl herself into his arms and shower him with kisses.

Obviously that wouldn’t do, so she settled for something more composed and decorous, something acceptable between friends. She lowered her head, staring down at her lap absently, her heart leaping and thrashing against her ribcage, like an angry, wild stallion confined in a tiny stall. “I-ummm… like your smile too, Albert.”

When she heard no response, she raised her eyes timidly to peer at him from beneath her lashes and found him beaming at her, his eyes crinkling with delight. She grinned shyly in return.

“What time are you coming home tonight?” Albert abruptly swung his head back to face the front, maneuvering the car to turn into the street at which Dr. Martin’s clinic was located. “Do you need to meet with Tina again in the evening?”

Candy sank into contemplative silence. Even though Albert hadn’t explicitly expressed it, she knew what he had really meant to ask her: he wanted to talk. She could tell he tried not to pressure her, and she was utterly thankful for his thoughtfulness. However, it was time for her to stop evading him.

“Not tonight. I’ll go home straight from work,” she answered. Then adding a cheerful lilt to her voice, she asked, “What would you like for dinner? I could cook—”

“Don’t worry about cooking,” Albert interposed as he brought the car to a complete stop, and Candy noticed the familiar dilapidated building that housed the clinic to her side. “I’ll take care of that.”

A grateful smile bloomed across Candy’s lips. There were times she felt both guilty and ashamed for letting Albert do most of the cooking when she, as a woman, ought to be the one bearing the responsibility. But it was a known fact that he was the one with superb culinary skills, whereas she was a complete failure in the kitchen—for that, she gladly relinquished her duty to him. “Umm… Okay. Thanks. Well then, I’ll see you later.” She pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.

As she swung the door shut, his blue eyes regarded her warmly. “See you, Candy.”

*********ccccccc*********

“TINA. What are you doing here!!??”

Candy sprang back a step, avoiding a direct collision with the tall, red haired woman in front of her. In her rush to go to the train station, she had failed to see Tina standing in her path.

“You don’t look so happy to see me, Candy,” Tina remarked with obvious hurt in her voice.

“Umm… I’m just surprised,” Candy replied, masking her wariness with a smile. She had no idea why Tina was here, although having witnessed plenty of Tina’s quirks in the short time she had befriended the woman, she was sure Tina’s visit wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. There must be a specific reason that had compelled Tina to invest sixty minutes of her time to take a round-trip train ride from Libertyville. “I didn’t expect you would come to the clinic at this time of the day. Don’t you have to work?”

Candy’s gaze lingered on Tina as she took in her friend’s appearance. With a bold, forest green dress accented with intricate golden embroideries around the hemlines of the round neckline and sleeves, a hat in a matching color atop her head, and a long curtain of gleaming, copper hair tumbling loose over her shoulders, Tina looked as radiant as spring itself, and as prim and proper as any upper-class woman ready to attend a garden reception in a mansion, definitely not like someone who worked in a flower shop.

“I only work half day today. My shift won’t start until after lunch,” Tina explained distractedly, her head swiveling to the side, toward the rows of shops and restaurants flanking the street. “Speaking of lunch, isn’t it lunchtime now? I’m famished. Let’s go to our favorite cafe.” She pivoted on her heel and walked off, without bothering to wait for Candy, who remained unmoving in her spot.

Candy heaved a resigned sigh. “I can’t… I have to go to the pharmacy in the city to buy some supplies, and—”

“But you still need to eat lunch.” Tina whirled around abruptly and flounced back to Candy, her blue eyes flashing with determination underneath the shadow cast by the brim of her hat.

“I’ll just eat along the way. I need to replace the three bottles of antiseptic I broke yesterday. There’s also—”

Tina’s eyes widened. “You-what?!! I know you’re clumsy—but THREE?!!!” Tina burst out laughing while Candy could only scowl in return, scolding herself for carelessly revealing yesterday’s mishap. “What were you doing? Were you drunk or something? Poor Dr. Martin. He would go bankrupt soon because of you.”

“Maybe I was a bit under the influence. I was at my friend’s farewell party the night before,” Candy admitted in a weary mutter, trying hard to curb her mind from wandering to Archie’s party or last night’s occurrence that would inevitably make her think of a certain blond man, which would distress her, and the last thing she needed was to be depressed at work. Not sparing Tina a chance to prod further, she wore a stern look and set both hands on her hips, “Okay, Tina. Out with it. What brings you here? What do you want from me?”

Tina ceased her laughter at once, her face scrunched up in a morose expression. “Candy—I’m hurt. Do you really think so lowly of me? I just want to visit my friend.”

Candy sighed out loud in exasperation. “Tina, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m in a hurry. There are still tons of things I need to do, and Dr. Martin is expecting me—so are you going to tell me?”

“Oh my… Somebody had a rough night,” Tina scoffed, placing a hand over her mouth, eyebrows suspended in high arches with impish amusement. “What has got into you? What happened to the sweet and kindhearted Candy I know and adore?”

“Tina…” Candy muttered in annoyance, the warning in her tone clear. She really had no time to humor Tina. Her train could arrive at any minute, and she wanted to return to the clinic as soon as possible to assist Dr. Martin. Unlike yesterday, today had turned out to be a very busy day for the clinic, perhaps the busiest one so far for this year. They were at their capacity with the number of patients.

“Oh fine…” Tina griped, rolling her eyes, but in the next second, her expression slid to gleeful. A beaming smile that rivaled the brightness of the sun emerged on her face. “First of all, I must offer you a congratulation.”

“Huh?” Candy stared at Tina dumbly. Sometimes she had to wonder of the million thoughts and ideas that could be running inside her friend’s head. “What for?”

“Sharon told me all about it. You and Robert!” Tina squealed between a stream of exuberant chuckles while Candy fiddled with the strap of her purse, finally comprehending what Tina was talking about yet not finding it all that fascinating. “She said he’s quite taken by you and would like to get to know you better. Wow Candy! Way to go. Now you don’t need to be worried about being an old spinster anymore.” In another abrupt shift, Tina’s face turned contrite as she expressed, “I’m sorry I couldn’t accompany you yesterday. There was an—ugh… Urgent matter that needed to be resolved promptly. But that was all done, and it seems things worked out well in the end, especially for you, darling.” Tina gave Candy a knowing glance. Then after a brief pause, she continued, “Do you know that Robert is one of the most sought after bachelors among our peers? He comes from a good family. Although the Hawkins are not in the same rank as the Andrews, I’m sure your Uncle William would approve of such a fine, intellectual to be—”

The instant the word ‘Andrews’ was tossed into the air, Candy’s jaw dropped and the loud thumping of her heart drowned the rest of Tina’s words. Eyes wide, Candy blinked once and then once more. “You knew?”

Tina’s lips curled in a smirk. “Yes, Candy. I know you’re an Andrew.”

That was quite unexpected. There had been times when Candy had considered telling Tina about her background, including her affiliation to the Andrew, but she hadn’t known how to best broach the subject. “I don’t know what to say…”

“Nothing,” Tina simply said in response. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re even now. I haven’t told you the entire story about me as well.” She dipped her head slightly, looking through her lashes, lips folded in a sheepish smile.

Candy restrained the urge to laugh at Tina’s bashful look—an expression so rare she could hardly believe it was Tina who stood in front of her. “What’s your story then? Are you, by any chance, from a wealthy family?”

This time it was Tina who was left gawking. “How do you know?”

“I don’t. It’s just a wild guess.” Candy shrugged with feigned indifference, but seeing Tina’s dumbfounded look, she couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. “There are quite a bit of hints, you know. You certainly didn’t act like a normal middle class citizen, squandering money right and left without a care in the world, wearing fancy clothes, eating out every day. You also attended St. Paul, one of the most prestigious schools in London—that fact alone proves that your social status is much higher than you make it out to be.”

Tina waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “All right. I got your point. I guess I wasn’t exactly meticulous with my effort to cover my tracks.” A rueful smile developed across Tina’s face before it disappeared under her green hat as she lowered her head, shuffling her feet. “We both are so awful, aren’t we? We declared we’re good friends but we weren’t being truthful to each other. I suppose we should start from the beginning and reintroduce ourselves.” Tina lifted her head up to look at Candy and abruptly thrust a hand to her, startling her. “Hi, I’m Martina Rosenthal.”

Candy stared at Tina’s hand for a moment, amused by her friend’s whimsy, and then she gripped the proffered hand, shaking it. “Candice White Andrew.”

They regarded each other with appraising gazes, as though they were two strangers meeting for the first time, before abruptly erupting into loud, mirthful laughter, attracting the attentions of some curious passersby.

“You know what else?” Tina began once they had stopped laughing. “You’ll find this utterly amusing. In the near future, our families will merge. We’ll be sort of related.”

Candy’s brows shot up in puzzlement. “What do you mean by sort of related?”

“My sister… Her name is Cassandra,” Tina said with a curl of distaste on her upper lip, as though she were talking about someone who had stolen her favorite necklace, which made Candy wonder whether Tina even cared about her sister at all. “She’s betrothed to one of the Andrews men. You probably know who he is.”

“Uhmmm…. No. I’m not as familiar with the family as you may think,” Candy replied. Since they were already at this stage, she might as well clarify who she really was to Tina. “You see… I’m not really an Andrew. I’m—”

“Adopted,” Tina finished for her with ease.

For the second time within a few minutes, Tina managed to render Candy stupefied. “You know that too?”

Tina nodded, lips pleated in smug satisfaction.

“How?” Candy asked in mild curiosity. Tina couldn’t have figured out everything about her background on her own, either someone must have told her or she had somehow overheard someone talking about her.

“Never mind that.” Tina dismissed with a disinterested huff. “Now that I’ve discovered quite a bit about you, Miss Andrew,” she said using a tone that sounded too polite in Candy’s ears that Candy felt herself grow wary. “There’s something that I’ve been dying to know, and you’re going to give me an answer. Your brother—” Candy’s heart skipped as Tina leaned in and pinned her with an accusing gaze. “Or the man you claimed to be your brother… He’s not, is he? He’s not your brother. Unless he was adopted by the Andrews too, which I don’t believe that’s the case at all. You two are probably not even related. Who is that man, Candy? Who is Albert? Who is that man you’ve been living with?” Tina prodded urgently, demandingly.

So this was Tina’s main purpose for visiting her: to interrogate her about Albert.

With Tina finding the truth about her being an Andrew, Candy should have expected her friend would uncover her lie about Albert being her brother as well, and this shouldn’t surprise her. Still, she wasn’t prepared to be confronted today.

“He…” Candy faltered and averted her gaze from Tina’s unyielding one.

What should she tell Tina? True, Albert wasn’t her brother—but then who was he? A friend, of course. He certainly had treated her as such—she was the only one who had harbored feelings beyond friendship. But would Tina even believe her? Regardless of the reason and circumstances, the fact was that she had defied society’s convention by living together with a man for more than a year. “You see Tina you’re wrong. There are still a lot of things you don’t know. About me, about him, about my past, about…”

Three consecutive ear-piercing whistles from the train announcing its arrival into the station swallowed the last part of her sentence. “That’s my train,” Candy remarked in undisguised relief, uttering a silent prayer of gratitude.

Tina’s immaculate brows knitted into a deep frown as she threw Candy a threatening glare. “Candy… Don’t you dare…”

Candy appeased Tina with a remorseful smile and began to retreat slowly, backing away one step at a time. “But I’m afraid I must go now, Tina. I need to catch my train. I promise I’ll tell you all about it next time.” That next time hopefully would be far into the future, not tomorrow.

“CANDY,” Tina shouted in sulky anger as Candy pivoted away. “You’re going to tell me everything! Everything—you hear me, Candice White Andrew! Every single detail!”

Tina’s angry retort faded into indistinct murmur behind her as Candy laughingly skipped toward the station. But her laughter soon vanished and her steps dropped to a slow plodding. It dawned on her that Tina now knew without a doubt Albert wasn’t her sibling, and that trapped Candy in a see-saw between feeling relieved and anxious—relieved for there would be no more need for deceit or pretense, anxious for she was sure Tina would see through her and conclude right away that she was madly in love with Albert, one detail she would rather keep to herself.

*********ccccccc*********

One last button on her coat to fasten, and Tina was ready to leave the flower shop. She was glad the day was coming to an end. Other than the brief meeting with Candy, which had ended up with Candy ditching her, today had been quite uneventful, advancing at a painstakingly slow pace. She dreaded every idle moment that lured her mind to wander to Gregory, to the ghastly confrontation last night and its abysmal, humiliating aftermath.

The jerk. How dare he make such a despicable proposal! Who did he think he was? She would not lower herself to be treated like an object for the satisfaction of his own pleasure, ever.

And what was wrong with her? How could she be so bloody stupid and blind? Was she really that gullible to fall for cheats, lying bastards two times in a row? And here she thought Candy was more gullible than she…

She must be desperate or plain dumb—most likely both. First Erwin and now Gregory. Between the two of them, Gregory won the trophy for being the worst. The man had knowingly misled her from the very beginning. On the other hand Erwin, despite him being another womanizing scoundrel that she should forget his existence ever graced this planet, had introduced her to the wonders and powers of penned words and encouraged her to set her own path of destiny. Not that that would change anything. He was still a scumbag as far as she was concerned, and he deserved to have all his pride and glory, his priceless collections of poems and manuscripts burnt to ashes. Oh, he deserved that all right. A sinister smirk curled on her lips as Tina recalled the look of horror on Erwin’s face before it was wiped away by Gregory’s wicked grin.

Tina balled her hands into tight fists and ground her teeth in repressed fury. She swore she would dig up dirt about Gregory and teach him a lesson. He should know she wasn’t a woman to be trifled with, and she would deliver the message to him personally. To destroy him would be too easy. A few words telegram to her brother would do the job—Gregory Barnes would be a ruined man for the rest of his waking life. But then she wouldn’t gain the pleasure of inflicting the pain on him herself—she yearned for that, she wanted to hurt him and humiliate him until he groveled at her feet, tattered and broken, as he had done to her.

Yes, she was still very much seething, livid beyond belief, hurt, and ashamed. Gregory had destroyed the tower of confidence she had carefully rebuilt over the years, shredded her dignity to pieces, and trampled on whatever was left of her. He had discarded her like a piece of garbage, worthless, useless, and unwanted.

Was there no decent man left in this world? Other than her brother, men, with her own father leading the pack, all seemed to be a bunch of self-centered, egotistical pigs who cared for nothing but their own libido that they carried between their legs. From now on she would be sure to steer clear from the lot of them.

“Tina—”

Tina, still boiling with rage, snapped her head up so fast that she could hear it crack and found her employer hovering at the entryway of the small powder room. “Yes, Mrs. Lindt?”

Mrs. Lindt extended her hand out toward her. “I believe these belong to you. Mr. Johnson stopped by a few minutes ago and asked me to give this to you.”

“Mr. Johnson?” Tina’s gaze fell on the items clutched between Mrs. Lindt’s lean fingers, her anger forgotten. Those were her gloves all right, the pair she thought she had lost. She must have completely forgotten about them when she had exited George’s apartment yesterday.

Taking the gloves into her hand, Tina thanked Mrs. Lindt quickly and bid her good night. Then she rushed out of the store, her eyes sweeping from one side of the sidewalk to the other, searching for the familiar figure of a dark haired man among the few passersby. Her lips spread into a wide grin when she saw him, moving past the toyshop, and she jogged to chase him, her loose hair fluttering on her back. “George—”

The man halted his step and whirled around, his eyes narrowing in a squint against the glare of the sun behind her. “Miss Tina—”

Tina approached him and stood by the store window, away from the sunlight, her arms folded across her chest, a sullen smile on her lips. “That wasn’t very nice of you to just walk out without saying hello.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you at work,” George explained.

“You wouldn’t disturb me. I finished my shift for the day,” Tina countered. Then, lifting the gloves up, she gave a flick of her wrist to show them to George and smiled in appreciation. “Thank you for these, by the way.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Tina.”

As Tina’s gaze fell on the stacks of books in the display window of the bookstore next to them, an idea suddenly flared in her mind. “Have you got a moment to spare, George?” she asked without a moment of deliberation.

There was no visible shift in George’s expression. The delay in his response, however, suggested that he was very much surprised by the question.

“I need to return to the mansion, but if you need my assistance, I have about a half hour.”

“A half hour is good,” Tina remarked excitedly, her lips parting in delight. “That would provide us with plenty of time to enjoy a cup of tea. Besides, I have to be somewhere else at dinnertime.”

George whipped his hand out in protest. “But Miss Tina, I don’t think—”

“Now George, what have I told you about declining an invitation from a lady?” Tina shot George a disapproving look upon which he could only stare at her blankly with mouth still hanging open.

Tina’s lips stretched in a triumphant grin. “Come, Mr. Johnson. It would only take a couple of minutes, and I promise to conduct myself with utter decorum. I need you to give me your candid opinion on something. It’s a project I’ve been working on—a manuscript.”

The change in George’s countenance was apparent as he looked at her with a glint of wonder in his eyes. “I didn’t know you were a writer. Although I’m not sure if I would be the most suitable person for such an important task of assessing your work, Miss Tina.”

Tina heaved a dismissive huff. “Oh George! Don’t be silly. Of course you’d be more than suitable. And could you please drop the honorifics! Aren’t we friends now?”

“Mis—”

“No Miss—just Tina,” she corrected.

“Miss Tina.”

Tina glared at George in irritation before suddenly breaking into laughter. “You’re an incorrigible man, are you not Mr. Johnson? No matter. I still like you anyway.”

George ignored Tina’s teasing quip and sighed. “If you don’t need my assistance anymore, I’ll take my leave now, Miss Tina. Good day.” With a slight bow, he turned from her and walked off.

But this time Tina didn’t leap into a run to catch up with him. She stood where she was, watching his retreating back.

She was doing it again—pursuing a man, after she forbade herself not to. Hadn’t she learned enough? But this was George. What could she possibly want from the man? He had no sparkling personality, no dashing looks to offer. Surely, he was not a brilliant lawyer like Gregory Barnes nor an eccentric yet gifted poet like Erwin Campbell. His austere expression and the stiff manner he carried himself reminded her of the head butler at her parents’ home, and that wasn’t too far from the reality—after all, George was a meager personal assistant to someone.

Every aspect about him spoke of plain and ordinary—if it hadn’t been for Candy, she wouldn’t even bother to throw a glance his way when he passed her by. Yet there was something about him that drew her in. Maybe she was intrigued by his stoic personality, a complete opposite of hers, not like any other she had ever come across in the past. Or maybe she took it as a challenge upon herself to shatter his facade of dignified quietness and reveal what was underneath it. Or maybe there was no explanation at all, just one of the mysteries of the intricacy of the human mind and how it worked.

No, despite her propensity to tease him and act coquettish around him, she wasn’t actually interested in him in _that_ manner. Her intention was purely platonic in nature, and she could tell the same applied to him. The two times he had helped her without being asked had all been genuine acts of random kindness, not driven from any hidden motives. Therefore, there was no reason for her to stay away from him. Besides, he might know a thing or two about Gregory that could be useful.

“George—the coffee shop is this way!” Tina yelled, running after the dark haired man.

*********ccccccc*********

The early evening breeze blew cool air from the lake, susurrating through new leaves that sparsely covered the branches of cypress trees. Distant laughter and cheer of children playing baseball in the nearby field intermittently broke through the steady flow of indistinct murmurs of neighbors chatting merrily in their front yards. It wasn’t exactly a balmy summer day for an outdoor activity, but a clear, sunny day was always embraced with hopeful enthusiasm, especially after the recent freezing spell from a few days ago.

Not minding the cheerfulness all around her, Candy tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she watched the small, red pebble she had kicked land with a crisp thunk on the bed of gravels. With the tip of her boot, she dug at the pile of dirt and searched for more pebbles. Feeling the sunrays searing the skin of her uncovered nape, she became acutely aware of the amount of time she had spent loitering in the vacant lot across the street from the Magnolia Apartment. She had messed around with the dirt for nearly a half hour or so, as though she had nothing better to do, when in reality someone was probably anxiously awaiting her return.

No, she wasn’t hiding from Albert. She wouldn’t be here if she were—she would be far away, inside a place like the Barlow’s Manor.

So why was she here again then? She was waiting for courage to return. Right… courage. That sounded ridiculous even to herself.

Okay, maybe she was stalling a little. She didn’t want to go home yet. She wasn’t ready to see Albert.

It had seemed easy in the beginning. The lingering doubts and uncertainty that had infiltrated her mind and turned her into an inept nurse yesterday had been mostly absent. Work had kept her on her toes that she couldn’t remain idle a second too long to allow any unbidden thought to sneak in. Since morning, only minutes after she had arrived at the clinic, patients had poured in nonstop until near closing time. It was as if everyone had picked today of all days to become sick or injure themselves, and that had thrown the clinic into a state of near chaos. Naturally, Dr. Martin had relied on her to assist him, and Candy knew she couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes she had yesterday, or the outcome would be detrimental. Hence, she had devoted all her energy and wits into every task assigned to her. All in all—except during the brief period she had spent with Tina, whereupon she had been presented with another dilemma that she really didn’t want to deal with right now—she had managed to end her day at work without squandering a minute of her time to ruminate about Albert and her burgeoning feelings for him.

However, it had all changed the minute she had walked out of the clinic and started her trek home. Thoughts of Albert and her imminent meeting with him bombarded her mind, and the next thing she knew, she was reliving yesterday all over again. Anxiety had mercilessly pestered her all along the way, tormenting her with conflicting emotions and taunting her with never-ending what ifs. Then, when she had raised her head and inadvertently caught a glimpse of Albert’s back inside the apartment through the window, her courage that had shrunken to mere pea sized was trampled into a pulp.

"Are you going to kick pebbles all night long? Why haven't you come inside?"

A familiar deep voice bored through the chaotic jungle of her thoughts, and Candy twirled around, squinting at the tall figure silhouetted against the blinding glare of the setting sun. Her heart leaped. “Albert…” His name escaped her mouth in a soft, guilt-laden whisper.

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, a new chapter. I hope I didn't make you wait too long.
> 
> What do you think?  
> This chapter may seem like a filler chapter. And that makes sense since originally chapter 10 is a massive chapter with 20k words in length. I decided to split it into two chapters to facilitate the reading.  
> The good news is that the next chapter is almost ready and will be published soon, and I can assure you that you don't have to wait another month for that one. ;)
> 
> Lastly but certainly not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my wonderful betas. Without their diligence, this chapter wouldn't be published timely.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


	11. Chapter 11

The early evening breeze blew cool air from the lake, susurrating through new leaves that sparsely covered the branches of cypress and sycamore trees. Distant laughter and cheer of children playing baseball in the nearby field intermittently broke through the steady flow of indistinct murmurs of neighbors chatting merrily in their front yards. It wasn't exactly a balmy summer day for an outdoor activity, but a clear, sunny day was always embraced with hopeful enthusiasm, especially after the recent freezing spell from a few days ago.

Not minding the cheerfulness all around her, Candy tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she watched the small, red pebble she had kicked land with a crisp thunk on the bed of gravels. With the tip of her boot, she dug at the pile of dirt and searched for more pebbles. Feeling the sunrays searing the skin of her uncovered nape, she became acutely aware of the amount of time she had spent loitering in the vacant lot across the street from the Magnolia Apartment, as though she had nothing better to do, when in reality someone was probably anxiously awaiting her return.

No, she wasn't hiding from Albert. She wouldn't be here if she were—she would be far away, inside a place like the Barlow's Manor.

So why was she here again then? She was waiting for courage to return. Right… courage. That sounded ridiculous even to herself.

Okay, maybe she was stalling a little. She didn't want to go home yet. She wasn't ready to see Albert.

It had seemed easy in the beginning. The lingering doubts and uncertainty that had infiltrated her mind and turned her into an inept nurse yesterday had been mostly absent. Work had kept her on her toes that she couldn't remain idle a second too long to allow any unbidden thought to sneak in. Since morning, only minutes after she had arrived at the clinic, patients had poured in nonstop until near closing time. It was as if everyone had picked today of all days to become sick or injure themselves, and that had thrown the clinic into a state of near chaos. Naturally, Dr. Martin had relied on her to assist him, and Candy knew she couldn't afford to make the same mistakes she had yesterday, or the outcome would be detrimental. Hence, she had devoted all her energy and wits into every task assigned to her. All in all—except during the brief period she had spent with Tina, whereupon she had been presented with another dilemma that she really didn't want to deal with right now—she had managed to end her day at work without squandering a minute of her time to ruminate about Albert and her burgeoning feelings for him.

However, it had all changed the minute she had walked out of the clinic and started her trek home. Thoughts of Albert and her imminent meeting with him bombarded her mind, and the next thing she knew, she was reliving yesterday all over again. Anxiety had mercilessly pestered her all along the way, tormenting her with conflicting emotions and taunting her with never-ending what ifs. Then, when she had raised her head and inadvertently caught a glimpse of Albert's back inside the apartment through the window, her courage that had shrunken to mere pea sized was trampled into a pulp.

"Are you going to kick pebbles all night long? Why haven't you come inside?"

A familiar deep voice bored through the chaotic jungle of her thoughts, and Candy twirled around, squinting at the tall figure silhouetted against the blinding glare of the setting sun. Her heart leaped. "Albert…" His name escaped her mouth in a soft, guilt-laden whisper.

He advanced a step and bent down to pick up the purse she had carelessly thrown on the ground earlier. "I was beginning to think you were going to ditch me again."

"WHAT?! NO…" Candy blurted out in vehement denial. "I wouldn't do that to you," she added, her voice dropping to a low mumble, her gaze straying to the ground. That was the truth. She wasn't very proud of the cowardice act she had done yesterday and had resolved not to repeat it—but she wasn't sure Albert believed her. Seeing him sauntering toward her from out of the corner of her eye, she steered her gaze back to him, but the intensity of the sunlight forced her to squint until it was blocked completely from her line of sight when he stood in front of her.

Albert extended his hand out to pass the purse to her, his blue gaze fastened on her, searching the veracity of her statement. "Then what are you doing here?"

Candy swiftly glanced down and took the purse from him. "I… Umm… I was enjoying the beautiful weather and lost track of time. I'm sorry…" Her gaze rose to meet his timidly, and she restrained the urge to whip her head back down when she discerned a trace of disappointment beneath the delicate twitches at the edge of his mouth. Instead she offered him an apologetic smile that withered halfway before it blossomed into a real smile, her hands wringing the leather strap of her purse.

"Is that so?" Albert's dubious tone pricked at her, and she expected him to prod her further. He didn't, only keeping mum, but his penetrating gaze never veered from her, which unnerved her to no end. A few moments passed in complete silence before he finally looked away and heaved a long sigh in resignation. "I suppose we can talk more later. Are you hungry?"

Quietly expiring the air from her lungs in relief, Candy nodded at once.

Albert smiled at her eagerness. "I'm hungry too. Let's get something to eat." He spun around and began walking, shoving both hands into his trousers pockets.

Candy noted he didn't cross the street toward the apartment as she had expected. Confused, she slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder and followed him. "Where are we going? Aren't we going to eat at home?"

Albert's step halted, and he swiveled halfway to look at her as she approached him. "It was a bit hectic at work, so I didn't have time to buy anything earlier. I thought we could have dinner in a restaurant—it's my treat, of course. What do you think?"

Candy raised her hands and shook them in front of her. "Oh, no... you shouldn't do that. I mean you don't need to treat me. I can—" She abruptly stopped and sighed aloud. Really. There was no reason for her to decline his generosity. Besides, it wasn't as though there were other choices, unless she wouldn't mind having breakfast for dinner. "I guess I should just say yes." She lowered her head slightly, maintaining her gaze on him, a bashful smile on her lips.

Albert chuckled. "Yup, that would be good."

They decided to go to Milly's, a modest family eatery owned by a German couple, which had become the local townspeople's favorite. The walk to the restaurant took approximately fifteen minutes during which the sun continued its descent into the horizon, dragging its resplendent cloak across the cloudless blue sky and over the land beneath, shrouding it with warm glow. It really was a beautiful day, abound with the presence of spring. Newly formed blades of grass breathed life to the weary ground, splashing vivid green over the muddy brown. Vibrant lavender and daffodil buds nestled among the tall bushes swayed in the breeze while quivering butterflies performed their graceful dance rituals above.

But Candy was too absorbed in her attempt to pacify the tumultuous thumping inside her chest to be able to enjoy the splendor of nature. With head dipped, her gaze low, she walked alongside Albert, mostly keeping to herself. She was nervous. This was the first time, since the fateful kiss, they would be together for an extended period. The several minutes they had spent earlier in the morning hadn't provided them with adequate time to delve into a serious conversation, whereas now they could.

Albert, on the other hand, appeared composed and unaffected, talking in his steady, baritone voice. Once in a while, his deep chuckle merging with his words rumbled in her ears. As she listened to him talking at length about Pouppe, she noticed how smooth and rich his voice was, like a steady, mellifluous hum in her ears. Somehow, she vaguely remembered hearing the same voice humming a sweet lullaby to her in one of her dreams. Could it be that it wasn't a dream at all and that he had really serenaded her to sleep, just like she had kissed him last night?

The answer never came, and the question was soon forgotten when they entered the village center that was aglow with flickers and sparkles against the fading trails of dusk. Lights spilled out of store windows onto the sidewalk, and one by one the streetlamps that lined the promenade were lit.

They stepped into Milly's to find the place bustling to capacity with dinnertime patrons and had to wait about fifteen minutes before they were ushered to their seats in the middle of the crowded dining area. With the constant, loud buzzing of random noises coalescing together, it was challenging to carry a lengthy, meaningful conversation inside the restaurant, so they both resorted to eat their meals without much talking, except for exchanging occasional brief, general comments. Candy was totally fine with that arrangement, as she wasn't in a talkative mood. Plus, at least for the time being, she didn't need to worry about Albert broaching nerve-wracking matters.

Yet there was one thing Candy hadn't counted she would be doing during dinner. She hadn't noticed it before, when they had been outside—now she sure had and couldn't stop stealing small glimpses of Albert from across the table. To be caught by him would be terribly embarrassing, as she could attest from the experience in the morning—but she just couldn't help herself.

She had acknowledged that Albert was a good-looking man, but tonight he looked exceptionally handsome. He had traded the casual outfit from the morning for something more appealing, a crisp white button down shirt layered with a dark navy knit sweater. The hue from the sweater accentuated the blue tint in his irises, adding a touch of radiance to his already dazzling pair of orbs, his hair shimmering like a mass of gold threads against the dark colored fabric.

From the coy smiles their waitress flashed at him and the appraising glances a handful of other women threw in his direction, she could see she wasn't the only one entranced by his appeal.

Leaving the succulent, maple glazed pork roast on her plate barely eaten, Candy sneaked yet another glance toward Albert and saw the flutter of his long, dark lashes beneath his wispy bangs as he looked down at his plate, the seam between his lips spreading ever so slightly to allow a piece of meat to pass through. There was finesse in his every move that if she hadn't focused on the lower part of his face, she couldn't tell he was chewing his food. She had never paid attention to how Albert ate before. Now that she had, juxtaposed to the elegant way he chewed his food and the refined way his long, slender fingers curling around the silverwares maneuvered a clean slice across the meat, she felt like an uncouth country bumpkin.

Obviously such an impeccable display of polished table manners couldn't be born out of thin air. It was something that must have been instilled in him since he was a child, something akin to the strict etiquette training typically imposed in upper class homes. The idea that Albert came from an affluent family had crossed her mind during Archie's party, and what she had observed of him ever since then made her believe that it might very well be the case. The reason why he had hidden his true identity and pretended to be a hobo was still a big giant question mark, and there was the possibility that she might never find out, especially if he decided to leave her.

Candy lifted her gaze slowly and nearly gasped out loud to find Albert's blue eyes assessing her intently.

"I thought you said you were hungry…" Albert commented, his voice nearly swallowed by the loud drone of chatter and laughter around them. "Why aren't you eating? You don't like the food?" he asked with a raised voice, leaning toward her.

She brushed aside the worry on his face with a cursory smile and dropped her gaze down to her plate, poking at her food with the fork. "No, the pork is amazingly tender and delicious. I'm…I'm just thirsty," she blurted out the first thing that popped in her mind and cast him an entreating grin. "Can we order some drinks?"

Albert eyed the untouched glass of water next to her plate and cocked a skeptical eyebrow at her.

"Uhmmm…. I want something else other than water," she quickly supplied.

Despite the unsure look Albert wore on his face, he didn't question her and signaled for the waitress.

When Candy saw him ordering a glass of beer, under his slanted brow, she eagerly requested the waitress to bring another glass for her as well. From the look he gave her, she knew Albert wasn't entirely pleased she had ordered the beer and had braced herself for a reproach from him. Much to her surprise, the reproach never came, and he didn't even utter a single word, neither to comment nor to discourage her.

Soon their waitress returned to their table with their order and placed the two glasses of beer on the table. Candy inspected the tall glass in front of her curiously. It was filled with cloudy, light amber liquid topped with thick, white froth rising above its rim. She had never drunk beer before—this would be her first time. So far, her exposure to alcohol containing beverage had been limited to the wine that had been served at different parties she was fortunate enough to attend, including the New Year's party aboard the ship that had transported her across the Atlantic to London. She had no idea how beer tasted, and whether it would be something she could handle. Would it make her drunk? Every time she drunk wine, she would get dizzy after a few sips. Would beer have the same effect on her?

"Are you sure you're going to drink that?" Albert asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

Any wavering vanished upon his taunting. Candy grabbed her glass and took a mouthful of beer, swallowing the liquid in one gulp.

Albert's brows shot up in surprise.

Candy chuckled quietly seeing the goofy expression of disbelief persist on Albert's face, even after she had set the glass down on the table. Albert probably had thought she wouldn't dare drinking the beer. Well, he was wrong. She had taken that one large gulp just to disprove the notion. An immature thing to do—she admitted, but she couldn't help it.

Without saying anything, she reverted her focus to her plate, tucking her lips in her mouth and licking them clean from the beer residue.

Beer wasn't bad at all. If anything, it tasted better than wine. The bitterness was less pronounced, and the liquid didn't burn her throat. Plus, the subtle, unique aftertaste of a blend of burnt caramel and banana was something she could appreciate more than the tannicity in wine. Although she was somewhat disappointed for not being able to feel the mollifying effect from the beer, unlike wine that seemed to work at the first sip.

As she resumed eating her food, she flicked her gaze up to Albert, who coincidentally had his gaze directed toward her. For a moment, neither of them moved nor said anything.

Then, in a moment that took her breath away, he smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in the dim light. "How's the beer?"

"Umm… not bad," she remarked with a nervous smile. Feeling the gush of heat on her face, she suddenly needed to cool herself and hastily drank from her glass.

Her second sip of beer—but other than the lingering taste of burnt bread on her mouth, she didn't feel anything. The third sip didn't have any impact on her either. It wasn't until the fifth sip when she finally started to feel something, as she found herself smiling and laughing more often, throwing remarks here and there.

Then as she tipped her glass up for another quick swig, bringing the content to half of the glass, everything around her seemed brighter while she felt lighter, warmer, and perhaps even happier? But she was still a bit nervous too. Maybe she was nervously happy—she couldn't tell. It didn't matter much anyway as long as she could laugh with ease without feeling like she had to force herself.

Albert lifted a brow at her, and she grinned back in return. "What?" she asked.

"Umm… you have some foam on your face, Candy…" Albert said after having remained mute for some time, only responding with a smile every time she had mentioned something to him.

"Really? Let me see…" Candy raised her knife close to her face and checked the distorted reflection of herself on the shiny surface. Noting the white froth that clung to the perimeter of her upper lip immediately, she burst out laughing. "You're right. Hey! I have a mustache now! I look like Dr. Martin with his white mustache!"

Albert laughed.

Candy quickly smothered her laughter and used the napkin on her lap to wipe the foam. Somehow the way he laughed with the gleam in his eyes softening into a tender gaze made Candy feel self-conscious. Normally he would've guffawed without restraint and might have even added a quip or two. "I'm being silly, aren't I?" she smiled sheepishly, her cheeks warm.

"Not really…" he replied, an amused wistful smile carving out a dimple at the corner of his lips. "I haven't seen you laugh like that for a long while. So it's all good."

The truth in Albert's words twisted a knot around her stomach. It reminded her of her current plight, the struggles and battles she was facing—and just like that, her mood dampened. "Yeah… It's certainly been a while…"

Her hand reached for her glass, but Albert snatched it away before she could even touch it. "That's enough for tonight, missy." The admonition was clear in his voice in spite of the teasing smile on his face.

Fully aware that an argument with Albert would possibly ruin the rest of their dinner and could lead to more tension and awkwardness later, Candy relented without a fuss, "Oh, all right. I'm not thirsty anymore."

Thereafter, they spent the rest of their dinner in silence, immersed in their own thoughts.

Moments later, once they had taken the last bites out of their chocolate cakes and sipped the last drop of their tea, they filed out of the restaurant and walked down the promenade. Candy couldn't be happier to be outside, away from all the noises and free from the confines of the overcrowded restaurant. The breeze, stronger but not much colder than before, felt nice on her feverish skin while the faint smell of cypress mixed with sweet, newly blooming lavender permeating the air induced a tranquilizing effect on her. Above her, the sky was a breathtaking sight of a glittering black canvas of myriad twinkling stars and a shining, near perfectly round moon.

All in all, it was a lovely night for a stroll. Couples, young and old, could be seen ambling along the promenade. Witnessing one particular older couple reveling in such simple delight of just being together, holding hands while talking intimately and exchanging gleeful, loving glances, stirred a longing in Candy's heart. Would she ever be so lucky enough to experience a profound love that lasted through decades? Her gaze drifted toward the man walking next to her, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to her presence, and she smiled sadly. It didn't appear that she was even close to finding her true love. She had conceded that Albert would never reciprocate her feelings, so she should abide by that and stop her daydreaming now.

As they continued to move farther from the downtown area and entered the quiet residential clusters, Candy felt anxiety coiling around her and tightening its hold with every passing moment. She had no idea what would happen next, but the writhing in her gut told her that they wouldn't go home and retire straight for bed. With everything that had transpired between them, they certainly had a lot to talk about. So far though, since they had left the restaurant, they had kept their chitchat to a minimum, staying on relatively innocuous topics.

"I can't believe how warm tonight is compared to that night after Archie's party."

Candy flinched, staring at Albert's profile. With his neck craned, his chin tipped up high, he seemed to be peering at the stars above, imparting nonchalance. But, however trivial and casual it might sound, his comment was packed with more purpose and meaning than any other words he had uttered the entire day—this was the first time he had mentioned anything about _that_ night. Were they going to finally talk about what had happened between them, about the kiss?

"Yeah…" she mumbled absently, surveying their surroundings. From the narrow bridge several feet ahead, she knew they were less than a block away from the Magnolia Apartment. "Thank you for dinner, Albert. Next time, it should be my turn to treat you. You treated me twice already this month." She turned to him.

Swiveling his head toward her, he smiled faintly, his blue eyes twinkling in the pale light of the streetlamp. "You don't need to do that, Candy. Please don't ever think you owe me anything, ever. Considering all the accommodations you have provided me, I'm the one with a huge debt to repay. But…" His expression shifted to serious, his brows puckered in a frown below his fluttering bangs. "May I ask you something? Why did you order beer when you know you have low tolerance for alcohol?"

She briskly glanced away, feeling suddenly irritated by his blunt query. Why did he have to bring that up now? "No reason. I can do whatever I want. I'm not a little kid anymore, you know."

"I know you're not," he murmured, his tone uncertain.

"So don't treat me as one," she snapped, earning a bewildered look from him.

"I don't," came his firm denial. He ceased in his track abruptly, affixing his gaze to her. "What's going on, Candy?" he asked, a blend of impatience leaking off his voice. "You haven't been yourself since this morning. Are you upset with me?"

Candy didn't answer, and instead, moving past him toward the bridge in slow, lingering steps, she pressed on, her tone a mixture between apathetic and sardonic, "All this irksome awkwardness and tension between us—it's all because of that kiss, isn't it?" The sneer on her face quickly disintegrated into a grimace as she felt the twinge piercing through her chest, but she disregarded it and forced herself to continue, "That kiss was a grave mistake. We shouldn't have done that." She halted her step and leaned against the wooden railing of the bridge, gazing down at the creek below, at the reflection of the moon rippling on its surface, cool breeze blowing gently against her face.

Her rapid breathing slowly returned to normal, but the hard pounding against her chest persisted, and so was the dull pain in her heart. She had done it—she had said what should've been said two days ago even though every part of her wished she had uttered the complete opposite. It astonished her how she had managed to do it without fumbling over her words. Perhaps it was the alcohol in her system that silenced her conscience and lent her the strength to betray her own heart.

"Is that really what you think?" Albert's deep voice floated through the soft purling sound of streaming water in the creek, and for a second, she thought she heard a faint whimper of hurt in it. "That it was a mistake?"

She spun around, a strained rueful smile on her face. "What else should I think? We both were drunk that night."

Albert stepped forward to stand in front of her. "And you made yourself drunk again tonight so that you could make the same mistake?" he scoffed. "I shouldn't have let you order that beer earlier."

"No…" Candy muttered under her breath, giving the strap of her purse a vigorous tug as she felt herself begin to simmer in anger, fueled by pent up annoyance and frustration that had accumulated for the last few days. "I'm not drunk. A bit dizzy—but not drunk." Then in a louder voice, she added, "And please stop acting like you're responsible over my well being. You're not my guardian." Her face contorted into a glower as she delivered her final statement, "You're not my Uncle William."

Albert recoiled. His mouth snapped open, as though he would contradict her, but he immediately clamped it shut, staring at her in consternation. Candy discerned a faint flicker of hurt in his eyes and felt a pang of guilt. However, it disappeared as quickly as she could blink, and the next thing she saw was the clenching of his jaw as his face hardened into an impenetrable veneer. "It would be best if we continue this conversation once your mind is clear," he finally said after a brief moment of silence.

If there was any guilty feeling remaining in her, it all evaporated by now.

No, he couldn't do this to her!

She wouldn't stop and wouldn't be deterred, especially not when she finally had the elusive courage back in her clutch. She was tired of all the tension and awkwardness and wished for all to end soon, even if it meant she would have her heart shattered to pieces. "But my mind is clear, Albert. You said I was avoiding you. How about you?" Her eyes scrutinized his face, searching for any shift in his expression. She found none. "That night, after we kissed, you pushed me away when I tried to approach you, to talk to you. You were detached and evasive, and even a bit standoffish. Clearly, you thought the kiss was a mistake."

Her lips curled up in a sad sneer as she noticed the deep creases between his brows in a frown, seemingly in objection to her claim, but she didn't stop and continued talking with increasing vigor. "You regretted it happened and felt guilty that you let it happen. I also know you slept outside the bedroom that night. You did it because you don't want to be close to me— you don't want to be near me. You're afraid that I might…" she trailed, sinking into soft panting as she attempted to catch her breath, staring at him. Unsure if she could even continue, she whirled away from him, facing the creek again. Even though she was still uncertain about many things, of one thing she was sure—she absolutely had no intention to divulge her feelings to him. Not tonight, not ever.

"About that night…" Albert began with a long sigh, occupying the space next to her. Candy, noting his hand only inches away from hers resting atop the wooden railing, had to forcefully repress the urge to peek a glance at him. "Yes, it's true. I can't lie. I was trying to distance myself from you," he admitted in a remorseful tone before quickly adding, "but not for the reason you think. The actual reason is umm… a bit complicated. It's possible you might have made the wrong assumption."

There, she had heard the truth directly from his mouth. She had expected it—but… It was still agonizingly painful. Disregarding the stinging around her face from tears that began to develop, Candy lowered her head and watched their reflections in the dark water. With the moon casting a gentle glow as the backdrop behind them, they looked like a couple basking in a romantic moment. Sadly, there wasn't an iota of romance in their current situation.

"Candy…" Albert's voice, kind and gentle as usual, beckoned her. "It's getting late. We should head back now… We could resume our talk later in the apartment…" He paused for a short moment, as though pondering about something, and then asked, "Do you really want to know why I avoided you that night?"

An ironic chuckle escaped her lips. "What's there to talk about, Albert?" She took a deep breath, blinking back tears that threatened to spill out. "I thought it's very clear, even without you telling me."

A small gasp flew out of her mouth when Albert suddenly seized her hand, forcing her to face him. "I don't think so, Candy. I don't think you understand at all…" His gaze hard with conviction riveted to her. "If you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

Candy scowled at him with no regard to the tears that had leaked out of the corner of her eye and flowed into rivulets on her cheeks or the aghast look on his face. This was much harder than she thought, and he surely didn't make it any easier on her. Yes, she already accepted that he didn't reciprocate her feelings—but must he insist that she heard it from himself?

Without saying anything, she whisked her hand free from his grip and ran off toward the apartment, roughly brushing the tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her coat. She didn't slow down until she stood in front of the door to her apartment, panting from all the running. For whatever reason, Albert hadn't pursued her. With his longer legs and stronger physique, he could've easily caught up with her but he hadn't. In fact, he hadn't even called after her. It certainly felt like he had deliberately kept his distance.

Yet she knew Albert had followed right behind her and would be here any minute. Hurriedly she unlocked the door, flung it open, and stormed inside the dark apartment, purposefully leaving the door open. She threw her purse carelessly on the table and strode to the kitchen without bothering to switch on the light, nearly tripping over Pouppe that had skittered from out of nowhere into her path.

Then, just as she made it to stand by the sink, Albert's voice reached her, "Candy, I don't—"

"Why do things have to change?" she asked in a near whimper, as though she hadn't heard him. "Why must there be something between us? Why can't we have fun anymore? Why can't we remain like how we used to be, just being Albert and Candy? Why can't we become best friends for life?" Then as an afterthought, she added, "Why do you have to leave?"

There was no answer.

The door closed with a muted click, and a moment later, following an evenly timed tapping of shoes against the hardwood, another muted click tore through the silent air then yellow light flooded the entire space.

Following a deep sigh, Albert finally replied, "I already told you the reason why I need to leave eventually. As for your other questions… Is that really what you want? For us to be best friends for life?"

Candy stared hard at her fingers that curved around the edge of the porcelain sink, her knuckles white as she held onto it for dear life, struggling to fight another wave of tears. "Isn't that what you want?"

It wasn't a question, and she didn't expect him to answer.

"Candy…"

She whipped her body around but seeing the pained expression on his face made her want to turn away at once. "No, Albert. Please let me say this once for all before I lose my wits and courage again." He didn't reply and only encouraged her to continue with an attentive look, so she began, "I know I've changed. My feelings have changed. But you see… I don't want to feel like this—but I can't. I tried. God knows how hard I tried." By this time, she felt like she was about to cry and took a deep breath to regain her composure, hanging with all her might onto her withering courage. "But I just can't," she continued in a despondent manner. "The feelings just won't stop coming. Then that kiss happened, and now I just… I just…" She hung her head in dejection, fidgeting with her fingers.

Albert approached her, determination reflecting in the steady pacing of his stride. "Candy, you should know that I—"

"Albert, please…" Candy jerked her head up, bringing his step to an abrupt halt a few feet away from her. "Please don't say it. I know how you feel about me, and I'm fine with that. I'm fine…"

"You're fine?" he repeated, as if to himself, his gaze dimming with uncertainty. "What do you mean you're—wait a minute…" His mouth set in a grim line. "Are you absolutely sure you know how I feel about you?" He trod the remaining distance between them and outstretched his hands to grasp hers. "Frankly, I don't think you know at all…"

Overwhelmed by the barrage of negative emotions that began to suffocate her, Candy brusquely stepped aside to dodge him, giving her back to him. Why couldn't he just let it go? Was he trying to make her confess to him? For what? So he could laugh at her? Or worse, pity her?

"You're wrong… I do... I do know. I know that no matter what you'll never lo—" She halted abruptly, the words 'love me as I love you' dangling at the tip of her tongue. Swallowing the words back, she curled her fingers into tight fists until the sharp nails cut into her palms and the pain from it prevailed over the one that was ripping at her heart. "Maybe… I should stop this while I still can before it goes out of control… and I ruin everything. Maybe... Maybe it'll be better if you leave. I don't know for how much longer I can bear this… This awfully ludicrous feeling. I don't know if I… If I…" She wheezed sharply and fell into broken pants, as though she had run out of breath, her mind a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she flinched.

"Candy—"

"I think you should leave now!" she blurted out loud, her words tearing and slashing viciously against the blanket of silence that enveloped the tiny kitchen, taunting, mocking back at her.

Stones, hard and cold like solid block of ice, filled her chest cavity, spreading chills along her body down to the bones. She slapped both hands over her mouth. Oh God… What had she done?

"I see…" Albert uttered coolly, retracting his hand. "If that's what you wish, I'll leave—"

Albert had barely pivoted on his heel when Candy suddenly hurled herself onto his back, her arms roping around his waist. Her body shuddered with sobs. "No… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Standing as still as an inanimate statue, Albert didn't move while Candy continued clinging to him, as if he were her lifeline, her cries muffled in the folds of his sweater. All her feelings gushed out in the relentless dribbles of tears. She cried for her inability to be honest with him, for her failure in reining in her emotions, for the excruciating pain she had to endure from her unrequited feelings for him, for the possibility of losing him for good due to her own foolishness, for everything.

Once her sobs began to subside into intermittent, feeble mewls, Albert gripped her hands and gently coaxed her to loosen her hold around him. "Candy…" He rotated in his spot to face her and slipped both hands below her jaw to cup her bowed head, gingerly lifting it up so that she gazed right into his eyes.

Candy held her breath at the tender smile before her. A searing pain coursed through her as she recalled all the harsh words she had tossed to him without the slightest consideration. Those scathing words—how could she even say those things to him? How could she have been so callous? "I'm sorry…" She drew back a sniffle. "I…"

Albert wiped her tears with a light brushing of his knuckles over her skin. "It's okay, you know... I understand. If my presence here makes you feel uncomfortable, I can move out…"

"But I don't want you to move out," she countered in earnest, her eyes pleading. "Albert, you must believe me. I didn't mean any of those words."

He stopped wiping her face and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Then do you want to tell me what has been bothering you?"

Candy shook her head weakly. "I don't think I can."

He sighed, seemingly grappling to contain his frustration. "I understand how it can be difficult, but it's clearly tormenting you. And I really want to help you. Perhaps you could at least try."

"Ummm… Perhaps…" she echoed unsurely, her eyes, blurred with tears, scanning his face and taking in all the features, thoroughly, unhurriedly, from the pair of shapely eyebrows veiled beneath wispy strands of blond hair, to the sapphire gems, the exquisitely sculpted nose, and the pair of thin strips of soft, pinkish flesh that formed alluring masculine lips. "Why are you so kind to me, Albert? Do you know that it only makes it harder for me to…" She hesitated, looking at him anxiously.

"To what?" he cajoled in a whisper, placing a hand on her cheek. "You know you can tell me anything."

The corner of her lips fluttered in faint acknowledgment.

"What are you so afraid of, Candy? Is it me? Are you afraid of me?" His gaze fixed on hers, imploring her to confide to him, soft fingertips skimming over her skin in feather-light caresses. "Have I done anything to hurt you?"

Her breathing turned shallow and raspy at his gentle ministration. "No…" she shook her head.

"So… Would you tell me more about this _feeling_ that seems to overwhelm you? Maybe we could try to sort through it together. I care a lot about you, Candy, but there's nothing I could do if you don't share what has been troubling you."

His gentle voice lulled her mind like a soothing balm, and she found herself eyeing his lips, imagining their softness against hers. "I know, but…" she murmured absently. Her hand rose of its own accord toward his face and settled against the curve of his cheek, her thumb grazing his cheekbone. "… I…"

His hand covered hers, pressing it against his cheek and enveloping it in its warmth. "Candy... "

She lifted her eyes, and upon looking into a pair of blue eyes radiating with kindness, she brought her face closer to his before she suddenly froze.

What was she doing? Was she thinking of kissing him? That was just plain wrong! How could she be thinking of something so indecent when he was doing his best to console her, as a caring friend?

Pulling her hand out of his grasp and letting it fall limply to her side, Candy scoffed, mostly at herself. "This isn't working…" She scraped at her bottom lip with the sharp edges of her teeth as freshly materialized tears pricked behind her eyelids. Albert withdrew his hand from her, the crinkles on his brows casting trepidation over his once calm façade. "I just can't do this anymore. I have no control over myself." Her head shook in futile resignation. Then, passing him a dismal smile with her heart torn and bleeding, bared for him to see, she scurried to the bedroom and slammed the door close behind her, securing it against her back.

There was no delay in Albert's reaction as she could hear his hoarse breathing through the door right away. "Candy—open the door," he pleaded in earnest, any trace of calm in his voice vanished. "Please…"

Candy twisted halfway and leaned one shoulder against the door. "No... " she whispered weakly, hoping with all her heart he would let her be. She was already on the verge of losing herself—teetering at the end of the rope.

"What's going on, Candy?" he questioned, his tone unexpectedly reverting to gentle. "Why are you running away from me again? If there's anything that I—"

"Leave me alone, Albert," she insisted in a desperate half yell. "You don't understand... I did something bad... Something really bad. I'm so ashamed of myself. I should be stoned to death."

Her breath skidded into a sharp wheeze as it dawned on her what she had just revealed to him, albeit unwittingly.

"What?!" Albert exclaimed in panic "Quit joking around—it's not at _all_ funny. Please open the door. I beg you."

"NO…" she declared firmly, her voice reverberating in the dark room. She had gone too far. It was too late to turn back now. He wouldn't let her, even if she tried. There was no way out for her except telling him the truth. She turned to face the door, splaying her hands against the hard surface, and squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding in her ears. "You see, I can't. I'm... I feel so ashamed of myself. I'm a filthy human being. I'm so dirty you shouldn't come near me, or I would ruin you too."

"What are you talking about?" Albert's voice jumped an octave with incredulous apprehension. "You are NOT," he asserted. "Candy, please... just open the door first. Then we can talk. Please…"

"But I am!" she contended, her eyes flying open. There was an inexplicable ire building in her and if anything, it only goaded her to continue. "God... I shouldn't have read that book, but it's too late now... Curse Tina and her wicked book…" she sneered. "If only..."

"What book?" Albert interrupted her pondering in a clipped tone, sounding as if running low in patience, and she could almost see him gritting his teeth. "What book are you talking about?"

"Tina's book. A cursed book." Candy huffed, recalling the moment she had agreed to read the scandalous book. "You see, it poisoned my mind and skewed my perceptions of many things. And now I have these vile thoughts… And these vile thoughts are… all about you." Her voice sank into a reflective whisper as her mind wandered, sifting through a collection of fragmented memories, searching for the exact moment when it all started, the precise time when she had fallen for him. "Thoughts that I shouldn't have harbored for a friend, forbidden fantasies and desire. It's maddening, but I can't stop them. They keep coming. Every time. Like what happened just now, while you were comforting me, all I wanted to do was to… touch you… to kiss you… to…"

Only then Candy noted how quiet it had become, not even the faintest sigh could be heard. Albert must have been so appalled by her and left. Still, there was a part of her that stubbornly clung to the belief that he wouldn't leave her in such a brusque manner regardless of how disappointed he was with her.

Swallowing the huge lump in her throat, she opened the door, slowly, hesitantly, just allowing a tiny crack. With one eye, she peered through the narrow slit and could see the table and chairs that occupied the living quarter, the window on the opposite wall with Pouppe curling on the floor right underneath it, and…

Her heart dropped to her stomach at the jarring realization. Albert wasn't there—but he could be in the kitchen, her mind quickly supplied. Flinging the door open with an urgent swiftness that caused it to slam against the wall, she careened out of the room into the living room and stumbled to a halt by the table, her fingers clenching around its rounded edge, her pulse jumping, her breathing raucous against the peacefulness of the night. She didn't dare direct her gaze to the kitchen, for the possibility of not finding him there would crush her to naught.

Then she heard it. A faint rustle behind her. She whirled around and froze in an instant, eyes wide in stunned silence.

Albert hadn't left. In fact, he seemed to be waiting for her, leaning against the wall next to the bedroom, assuming a relaxed stance, his arms folded across his chest, one leg crossed over the other.

"Do you think I'd leave after hearing what you just told me?" he asked in a placid tone, his face shrouded in shadow.

"I don't know…" she answered absentmindedly, still reeling from the shock of seeing him. "I thought you'd be disgusted. I will go to hell for harboring those dirty thoughts about you."

Albert erupted into a sarcastic chuckle, a harsh sound, biting painfully at her ears. "Then we _both_ will go to hell."

Her heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"

Albert moved away from the wall and stood upright. "Just as you said," he simply replied, without explaining further, his gaze never diverting from her as he stepped toward her and emerged from the shadow.

Candy's mouth turned dry at the pair of eyes that watched her with keen interest. They looked familiar yet oddly enthralling that she couldn't tear her gaze away from them. The usual gentle gleam was nowhere to be found; in its stead was a fiery blaze, intense and wild.

It wasn't anger—it was desire, unrestrained and untamed, demanding to be satisfied.

Her heart leaped into furious thumping at the realization that she was the subject of such raw hunger. All the warning bells rang inside her head, her conscience screaming at her to flee, but Candy couldn't seem to make herself move an inch, her feet rooted to the ground, her arms hanging dormant to her sides as she watched Albert advance toward her in slow, measured steps, like a lion stalking on its prey. She gulped, growing weak in the knees with every passing second, heat swirling and lashing in the pit of her stomach.

He halted in front of her; his eyes had darkened into deep cobalt, holding hers captive. "Candy…" Her heart gave a violent lurch at the way he called her name with a voice that had dipped low into a husky whisper. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't make your fantasies come true right at this minute."

A reverberating visceral gasp bursting out of her throat, Candy felt dizzy from the sudden rush of air into her lungs, her vision blurry.

But she was never granted a chance to recover, for in the next instant, the smoothness of Albert's palm grazing her cheek stilled the breath inside her chest and rendered her numb from head to toe. Long fingers swept over and beneath her jaw to grip her chin lightly and tilted it up at an angle. Two beats flitted. Then his mouth crushed down on hers, fusing them into one, igniting every cell in her body into a fiery ball.

She responded instantly, molding her soft frame against his hard one, even when her sluggish mind was still trying to process what was happening. By the fifth second, any remnant of coherent thoughts, of propriety and sensibility, was banished. Nothing mattered but the gratifying sensation of Albert's insistent lips kneading against hers, smooth as velvet and wonderfully warm just as she remembered them.

Her fingers fisted at his sweater, bunching the fabric in a desperate clutch. The desire to be as close as possible to him nearly made her wail. She wanted to engulf herself in his heat, and like the attentive man he always was, Albert complied with her tacit plea and deepened the kiss.

The feel of wet tongue gliding against the seam of her lips shook her body with tremor. It was beyond scandalous to have a man's tongue inside her mouth—but by golly, she yearned for it, she wanted to taste it, she wanted to feel it. She opened her mouth to welcome Albert's tongue with a tentative stroke of her own. It felt strange at the first brush of tongue against tongue. The weird sensation, however, quickly subsided, chased away by a deep-seated craving under her belly that demanded to be quenched as his tongue lured hers in a battle of fervent caresses, his hot mouth firmly adhered to hers. God this was exponentially better than a kiss on the lips. She was soaring!

Not wanting the wondrous feelings to stop, Candy clung to Albert's neck and pressed herself into him desperately. He groaned against her mouth in response. And soon she was _really_ soaring when she found herself being lifted by the hips and hoisted onto the table behind her. Her eyelids slid open halfway in a surprised trance and then dropped shut as he released her lips and dragged his own across her cheek to behind her ear and down to the underside of her jaw, lavishing her skin with moist, tiny kisses that tickled.

Candy moaned and threw her head back, arching her neck to expose her throat to him. He took her invitation without a hint of hesitation. Moving one hand that was on her hip to grip her shoulder, he showered the span of skin from under her chin to the area above the clavicle with generous open mouthed kisses and light nibbles that turned her breath into harsh, fragmented gasps, his thumb slipping under the lapel of her coat, inching it off her shoulder.

His other hand sneaked in underneath her coat and ascended in languorous caresses along the side of her body, acquainting itself to her feminine contour, sending a wave of delicious quivers down her spine. Such leisurely intimate exploration only managed to excite her more and impelled her hands to begin their own quests, traversing across his broad shoulders and down the expanse of his back, wrapping around his slender waist, then back up again to the shoulders. She repeated the stroking, feeling the ripple of muscles through the material of his clothes as the unbidden image of his glistening, bare back bathed in the moonlight flickered in her mind.

Apparently, Albert appreciated what she was doing very much. In no time, his mouth reclaimed hers with renewed passion, swallowing all the strange noises emitted by her throat, before it sought her neck again and commenced a gentle assault, leaving a trail of molten flame on her skin.

When she felt the pad of his finger grazing over her clothed breast, a strangled gasp rushed out of her. Albert aroused in her the disreputable feeling of heady lust she never thought of its existence until now. What felt like an unintentional, accidental brush had churned her insides into fiery liquid. She bit her lips, secretly wishing for him to do it again. He did, deliberately, with growing confidence, again and again and again until the sensitive peak on her breast turned as rigid as a button beneath his fondling fingertip, protruding through the material of her dress. Swept by the powerful tide of intense pleasure that deluged her over and over, she whimpered, grabbing unto him as tight as humanly possible, blindly sinking her hands into the mass of lush, wavy hair, as she felt his lips descend lower.

Suddenly, in a moment that Candy thought she would combust, she felt Albert stiffen, his head propped against her shoulder with his nose pushed into her collarbone, his mouth puffing hot air onto her heated skin, his hands resting still where they were. Then in a slow, almost reluctant, gradual manner, he retreated. His hands moved to rest on either side of her on the table, his head abandoning its perch on her shoulder. He hovered in front of her with head bowed, and after a moment of absolute stillness, he stepped back, straightening to his full height.

Candy could only stare at him with dazed eyes. Her whole body shivering with protest from the abrupt loss of contact, her mind a blank slate, she slid herself off the table to stand on her feet, nearly toppling to the floor when her legs wobbled.

"God… I don't know what I'm doing anymore…" Albert whipped his head to the side, raking a trembling hand over his disheveled hair in a careless sweep, his wry chuckle interwoven with his heavy panting. "We should stop this madness at once, or we both will end up regretting it tomorrow morning. I don't know… Maybe… Maybe we had too much to drink earlier." His mouth snapped close, and he was quiet for a moment, his eyes drawn shut, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he inhaled deeply.

By the time his eyes slid open again, the blaze of desire had fizzled, replaced by the calm gleam that usually resided in their depths. "I'm going out for a walk," he continued in a more sedate tone, nearly back to his normal voice. "I need to clear my head, and you probably need some time for yourself also. I won't be long, and once I'm back…" He drew in a deep breath, pinning her with a beseeching gaze that brooked no argument from her, causing her pulse to jump. "Let's try to talk again. This time we'll do it calmly, thoroughly, and soberly. For the sakes of our sanity—my sanity, I don't want to delay this any longer. I hope you agree." He swallowed. "Would that be okay, Candy?"

"Umm… yeah…" Candy heard herself emitting a weak murmur in assent.

A fleeting smile on his thin lips, and then he was gone.

The instant the door shut to a click behind her, her shaking knees knocked against each other, and Candy collapsed on the floor in a useless, torpid heap, heart pounding, skin burning, lips tingling. Her arms crossed over her chest, fingers digging into the flesh of her upper arms. The echo of her own panting filled her ears, racing against the excited drumming of her heartbeat. Everything around her appeared soft and blurry, as though they were swathed in white haze.

All of a sudden, something furry tickling her arm propelled her to sit bolt upright. Candy jerked her head sideways and laughed out loud when she saw it was only Pouppe.

She couldn't tell how long she had stayed frozen in her awkward position, sitting on the floor with her legs bent away from her body. It must have been more than just a few minutes, she surmised based on the persistent pricking around her legs. She gathered Pouppe into her arm and propping herself on one hand, she attempted to heft herself off the floor. Amazingly she managed to do it without stumbling, and it was a mystery how she could actually stand on her feet without tottering. But when she took a step, the throbbing pain on her two knees sent her hobbling to the closest chair.

The bruises she had acquired last night hadn't even begun to heal yet, and now she had added more injury to her knees. Wonderful.

But the sore in her knees was soon a forgotten matter of trivial importance when her mind was suddenly inundated with scene from her intimate encounter with Albert being replayed in vivid details, his smooth, moist lips gliding across her skin, his nimble hand tracing her curves, his hot tongue…

Oh God…

Her mouth snapped open gasping for air as she found herself hyperventilating, her body thrumming with desire. By golly! Had Albert delivered the promise of making her fantasy a reality or what?! No, he hadn't just delivered—he had blown off all of her fantasies to dust. Those fell short to the real experience—not even close. She felt herself growing hot again just thinking about _that_ experience. The heat that was generated from their passionate exchange could certainly set a building on fire.

Her gaze fell to her lap, and she saw Pouppe observing her. "Pouppe, what should I do now?" Lifting Pouppe by the torso, she placed the skunk in front of her on the table. Pouppe stood up on its hind legs and sniffed at her curiously. Candy giggled, tapping Poupee's nose lightly. "Albert…" She took a deep breath and released it in a long, drawn out contented sigh. "He kissed me, again, and… Sweet Mother Mary, what a passionate kiss it was! I liked it a lot! No, I loved it! I loved it so much I wished for him to kiss me again and again and again… Goodness… That sounds so brazen and inappropriate…" She laughed bashfully, burying her face in her hands. Her laughter diminished as another thought crossed her mind. "Does this mean he loves me as I love him? Does this mean that we…" She removed her hands from her face and clasped them to her chest, smiling dreamily into space.

Albert and her as a couple—Candy could hardly contain her excitement at the possibility, real possibility, not a fantasy. No doubt, it would alter so many things in her life, hopefully it would be something permanent that would continue into the future. Yes, there were still questions that needed answers. At least, the dreadful question from two nights ago 'now what?' was not one of them. And _that_ other woman she had seen with him? She knew Albert well enough to proclaim with absolute certainty that he was not the type of man who would kiss any woman on a whim. She trusted him. Although there hadn't been any love declaration from him, she knew he wouldn't have kissed her, especially not in the ardent manner he had done, if he was in love with another woman.

So…

There was no reason for her to keep hiding her feelings, was there? She would tell him. She would tell him everything. Once he returned, she would confess to him. She would tell him she loved him. And this time she wouldn't need to worry about ole courage abandoning her.

Without warning the light suddenly flickered, causing Candy to snap her gaze up to the pendant lamp hanging above the table. Was something wrong with the bulb? She couldn't recall when was the last time they replaced it. Albert might know. Making a mental note to remind herself to ask Albert about the lamp later, she extended her arms over the table to reach for her purse when the light gave another flicker again. Then just as she hooked her fingers around the strap of her purse, the light went off completely, throwing a blanket of darkness over her.

Candy sat erect in alarm, dread crawling up her spine and turning her entire back as rigid as a wooden board.

Silence slithered across her mind like a poisonous serpent closing in on its target and spread foreboding chills into nerves, muscles, and joints.

Then like the ferocious roar of a thunder, a bellow of "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" blasted through the wall and was immediately followed by a violent eruption of jumbled noises of frantic tramping of footsteps and panicked screaming.

The irony of what was happening made her want to laugh. It was funny, creepy, and mind boggling all at the same time. What were the odds for something that had passed her mind as a mere fleeting thought just seconds ago to actually occur now? And it had to happen after her kiss with Albert. While their first kiss had occurred during a blizzard, this one seemed to have sparked a fire.

A sniff of something burning galvanized her and she stumbled out of her seat, knocking the chair down to the floor, fingers still clutching the strap of her purse. What was she doing? This wasn't the time for her to ponder over such matters. There was no time to waste—she had to leave the building as fast as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gazed around the dark room anxiously, searching for any valuable she could carry with her. A hesitant squeak prompted her to look down, and she found a pair of small, round eyes staring at her. Pouppe! She couldn't abandon her here—Albert would be inconsolable if something were to happen to his beloved pet, and she would live carrying the burden of guilt for the rest of her life. Scooping Pouppe from the table swiftly with one hand and slinging her purse strap over her shoulder with the other, she made a mad dash for the door and wrenched it open.

The sight that greeted her made her freeze in her spot. Never had she imagined for such a chaotic scene to occur in this peaceful place she had called home for more than a year.

It was pure pandemonium. The dark, narrow corridor that was usually a desolate area was now a tangled web of confusion, fear, shock, anger and sadness. Doors were left ajar as her neighbors rushed out and filed into the narrow hallway. A few were exchanging slurs in frustration and anger while some were scurrying around in frenzy, hauling boxes and other items out of their apartment units, and they were all scrambling toward the stairway, the only way to exit the building.

All the while smoke continued to roll in, permeating every empty space with haze and burning smell.

"Candice! What are you doing dawdling there?! We've got no time to waste!"

Candy flinched, staring at the retreating group of people before her. Impelled by the sudden urgency to follow them, she hugged Pouppe tightly to her chest and swung a leg forward, adding a burst of energy with each step. Her pace slowed as she approached the landing, trailing behind an old lady who had lumbered in from the opposite end of the corridor. Candy knew her. It was Mrs. Collins, a kind lady who had occasionally visited Dr. Martin for her chronic hip pain.

Candy stepped forward to walk next to the older woman. "Mrs. Collins, let me help you with—"

Her words were cut off abruptly when a cat tucked in between Mrs. Collins arms and chest—a cat she hadn't noticed before—suddenly whipped out its sharp claws and brandished them at Pouppe.

Pouppe clung to her shoulder in fear while the cat gave out a slew of threatening angry hisses, baring its fangs.

"Is that a SKUNK?" Mrs. Collins's bewildered shriek rang through all the commotion around them, causing Pouppe to leap off her shoulder and fall on the floor on its sides.

Candy dropped down to a squatting position to retrieve the poor skunk, but she was a second too late. Pouppe had scampered away, clambering up the stairs, and she could only gape in horror as the skunk disappeared into the dark and smoky hallway.

"POUPPE!" Candy cried out in desperation, begging for the skunk to return—of course, that didn't happen.

Seconds ticked by. Candy felt at a loss of what to do. There was not much time left before the raging fire swallowed the whole building and burned everything in it into ashes. No, she couldn't leave Pouppe here. She couldn't let her perish. She had to find her. With firm resolve, she whirled around and ran up the stairs.

"CANDICE—where do you think you're going?"

"Are you stupid or what?!"

Ignoring the bewildered yelling mixed with string of insulting remarks, Candy drew a deep breath and crossed the landing, and as soon as she entered the dark, smoky corridor, the noises behind her dissipated until the only sound she could hear was the tapping of her own boots and the vigorous thudding of her heart. The descent into silence proved that she was indeed alone, still lingering inside a burning building that could erupt into a ball of flame at any second. But despite the desperate scream of her conscience ordering her to turn around, she fixed her gaze straight to the front and continued to advance forward. She could do this. Pouppe couldn't have gone too far. There was no doubt in her mind that the frightened skunk had run back to their place, and there was exactly where she needed to go.

To reach their apartment unit, which was located at the far corner of the building, took more efforts and time than she anticipated, and she had stumbled more than twice, tottering along the corridor with palms pressed firmly to the lower part of her face. The entire space of the narrow corridor was engulfed in smoke that had thickened into dense fog, reducing the visibility to almost nothing and depleting the supply of fresh air. It was impossible to see through the thick smoke, and she had relied solely on her instinct to lead her.

At long last, after what felt like traveling through a never-ending tunnel, her eyes stinging from the smoke, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, she reached her destination. For all the time she had lived here, Candy had never felt as relieved as she was now to see the entryway of her apartment. She staggered inside, her heavy panting echoing across the room. She didn't think she would be this exhausted—but she was, completely bereft of energy, as though she had run at top speed for several hours nonstop.

"Pouppe," she called, her voice weak, weaving in and out through raspy heaving, eyes scanning her surroundings.

Interestingly, inside the apartment unit, the smoke was not as thick as it was in the corridor, and the gentle streams of moonlight passing through the window and filtering through the wispy layers of smoke afforded her a whole view of the room.

Candy took slow steps toward the table in the middle of the room, straining her ears for any hint of squeaking noise and stretching her eyes as wide as possible for any sign of movement. "Pouppe…"

For a reason unknown to her, with each step she took, she grew disoriented and her body felt as though it was made of lead.

Another step, and everything around her began to spin, and she couldn't see where she was going anymore.

She swayed and tottered.

A surprised yelp escaped her when something solid caught her ankle and impeded her from moving farther. Frantically, she twisted and yanked at her leg but ended up losing her footing completely. Her arms flailed about as she tried to grab onto the table next to her. Just when she thought she had the table within her grasp, her vision suddenly swirled, and she caught handfuls of air instead and struck the side of her head against the edge of the table before tumbling onto the hard floorboards in a resounding thump. Her voice lodged in her throat in a strangled moan as a wave of searing pain flooded her. Almost concurrently a drowsy spell was cast on her, and she became extremely sleepy. She fought hard to keep her eyes open but it was no use—her eyelids had become so heavy that they snapped shut. In the brief moment she grappled to grasp on to the last shred of her consciousness, her thoughts drifted to Albert and his smiling face, and how she would miss him terribly much.

"I'm sorry, Albert…"

Then there was nothing but boundless, starless, black sky gaping at her.

*********ccccccc*********

"CANDY!"

Where was she? Someone was calling her. Who was that?

She pried her eyes open with force and found herself sprawled on the wooden floor, enveloped in inky darkness. The ferocious pounding in her head made her wince. Had she fallen asleep on the floor? How long had she been sleeping? She raised her head up from the floor and let her gaze roam. Only then she noted that everything around her appeared hazy, saturated with myriad of tiny, black particles swirling in the air. A strong burning smell invaded her nostrils, causing her to convulse into fits of hacking cough.

"CANDY!"

The same voice was shouting her name again. Now she could tell it was a male voice, a very familiar male voice. This time it was followed by frenetic running footsteps that sounded like they were moving closer toward where she was.

Then she sensed it. Someone was behind her.

Swiveling her head to look over her back, she peered through the gray haze at the figure shrouded in shadow that hovered by the threshold.

"Candy… Thank God… You're okay... You're okay..." His voice was a mixture of whimper and laughter stifled behind the piece of cloth that concealed more than half of his face, his chest jerking up and down in frantic panting.

He must be the one who had been calling her. He knew her name, so she must have known him too. Who could it be?

Then, as though there was something that spurred him on, he lurched forward in a sprint and skidded to a halt in front of the window, blocking the streams of light with his body. For a moment the silhouette of his back was the only thing she could see as a swift flick and a shrieking sliding sound of the window being shoved all the way up cut through the silence in the room before he suddenly stepped back, allowing slivers of light to pass through. With a whip of his hand, he wrenched the cloth off his face.

Her breath caught as she stared at the glistening blond hair and a pair of stunning midnight blue eyes.

Blond hair and blue eyes… She knew him!

There was only one person who was in possession of such striking features. Anthony… But why was he here? Was he here to save her? Had Neil and Eliza trapped her again and locked her in an abandoned room?

Ignoring the painful throbbing in her head that seemed to have intensified, she exerted all her power and weight onto her elbows in an attempt to hoist herself up the floor.

But before she could even raise her torso, strong arms had roped around her from the back, and she was whisked off the floor, propped onto a warm, sturdy body. The abrupt movement made her dizzy, and she grabbed onto the solid frame against her for support. The warmth that pervaded her was comfortingly familiar that she could feel herself drift off into a lull, her eyes heavy.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have left you." The arms that held her tightened as she felt him shudder against her. "I'm so sorry…" His hand cradled the back of her head, drawing her even closer so that she was wedged against him, her nose pressed into the crook of his shoulder.

"Anthony…" the name left her mouth in a sigh, and she felt him tense; his hold around her slackened slightly.

A calming masculine scent penetrated through the smell of smoke and wafted into her nose, triggering a flash of recognition in her brain. In that split second, images rained down on her, like a cascading waterfall—and she remembered. The impromptu dinner at Milly's. The nerve-wracking confrontation that had followed and culminated in a passionate kiss. And then… the fire.

Had it all been real? She wasn't dreaming, was she?

Then the man who was holding her was…

Dazedly, reluctantly, she extracted herself from the warm embrace that surrounded her and examined the face before her. Anxious eyes regarded her. "No you're not Anthony…" she whispered in awe, overwhelmed by the flood of relief and happiness, her fingers pushing away wispy tendrils of blond hair from his forehead. "You're Albert…" She smiled, blinking away tears from her eyes. "I knew you would come for me. I knew you would. You always have." She choked back a sob, but the tears just wouldn't stop trickling. "Always… Always…" Her other hand, thoroughly covered with ashes and dust, moved to rest on his cheek, framing his face.

The soft pad of his thumb dabbed at the tears that had slid to below her cheekbone, his lips quivering in a fleeting smile. "Candy… We can talk later, okay?"

Upon the nodding of her head, Albert wrapped his arms around her securely, coaxing her to nestle into him. Then he propelled himself up to his feet. "Hang on!" That was all the warning he gave her before the rush of air struck her face as he dashed out of the room into the dark, smoky corridor.

Candy burrowed her face deep into Albert's neck, looping her arms tightly around him. Despite the varying degree of pain that invaded every part of her body and the suffocating sensation from the acrid burning smell, she felt completely at ease, free of worry and fear, because she knew as long as she was with Albert, she would be safe, she would be fine. Nothing else mattered.

A moment later, she felt him begin treading down the stairs at a slower pace. His heavy panting sliced through the murmur of indistinct noises. She turned her head slightly off him and noted through the haze they were moving closer toward the ajar main door.

"We made it…" Albert breathed. "I don't know what would've happened if I had come too late, or if the fire had spread…" He glanced down at her.

Her breath hitched in her throat. She had never seen him like this, looking so frightened, completely at a loss, his eyes veiled by the dark cloud of terror—and it was all because of her. Her heart squeezed at the crushing thought that she had been the cause of his pain, and she wanted nothing more than to erase all the unsightly marks of agony that marred his face—she would do anything to make them disappear. Her fingers traveled the length of his shoulders and latched themselves behind his neck, beneath the soft tendrils of hair at the nape.

"Thank God they managed to douse the fi—"

His words left hanging, Albert snapped his eyes wide when Candy suddenly yanked herself up to him and kissed him on the lips. She withdrew, creating a narrow space between them, only wide enough to detach her lips from his. The shock was apparent on his face as he stared at her blankly, but there was no trace of panic in his expression. Gradually, the glint in his eyes softened with tenderness, sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach, the edges around his lips, ever so slightly, curving up. She sighed and couldn't stop herself from smiling in return. His gaze drifted down to her lips, and she found her own gaze fixed on his lips, her heart beating fast in heady anticipation. Then, bit-by-bit, the void space between them shrank until there was nothing left but the heavenly feel of his warm, soft lips pressing onto hers and brushing against them in a gentle, lingering kiss.

He pulled away. Her eyes darted up just as his dropped to meet hers.

It was in that brief glance, in the fraction of a smile, she finally comprehended what he had been trying to tell her all along—ever since that time when he had surprised her with a chaste kiss at the train station and before that, when he had asked her to dance with him at Archie's farewell party. Probably even prior to that, when he had brushed her hair, surprised her with the journal, treated her to her favorite dessert, and perhaps even way before that, when he had searched for her in the woods, thrown himself in front of her to shield her from the lion's claws…

Everything… He had done everything for her, saving her, comforting her, making her happy. All for her. Only her.

How could she have not realized it until now? That this amazing man… This wonderfully, magnificent, amazing man loved her.

As he resumed his step, she nuzzled against his neck, smiling and weeping at the same time. "I love you… Albert…" she told him, her voice a near inaudible whisper, muffled by his warm skin, her eyes closing as exhaustion returned and dragged her along to float off to deep slumber.

If this was dream, she never wanted to wake up. Surely, not from this one.

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter in the middle of the week? Well, I just want to publish it close to Candy's birthday. :D
> 
> As I mentioned earlier, ch 10 and 11 were originally one chapter. But due to the length, I decided to split it into two chapters. 
> 
> So what do you think of the chapter?  
> Yep, I've turned up the heat by a notch, literally and figuratively. :D  
> What will happen to them now that they don't have a place to live anymore?
> 
> This chapter takes us to the climax of the first arc, and the next chapter will be the conclusion of the first arc before we move on to the second arc of the story. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when the next chapter will be ready. Rest assured, I'll keep working on it, and hopefully I can release it around summer time.
> 
> Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful betas for their diligence and invaluable input. Without their helps, I don't know if I could even publish this super long chapter that is quite challenging to write. 
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kudos.  
> Many hugs and kisses <3
> 
> Till next time,  
> -forever-


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